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The Italian artist Bruno Munari began building "useless machines" (macchine inutili) in the 1930s. He was a "third generation" Futurist and did not share the first generation's boundless enthusiasm for technology, but sought to counter the threats of a world under machine rule by building machines that were artistic and unproductive.[1]
The Italian artist Bruno Munari began building "useless machines" (macchine inutili) in the 1930s. He was a "third generation" Futurist and did not share the first generation's boundless enthusiasm for technology, but sought to counter the threats of a world under machine rule by building machines that were artistic and unproductive.[1]
Box Components
Box Components
My partner and I split the designing of the box components between the two of us. I designed the motor and the limit switch and my partner designed the main switch and the battery pack. The shaft of the motor was designed separately and them mated to the main body so that it can rotate freely. The limit switch uses a similar method so that the arm can rotate while being held in place. Once all the component designs were completed I added them to my box design to make sure they all fit along with my arm.
The Outer Box Design
The Outer Box Design
Theme
Theme
The theme for my box is an crate containing an alien. The box has and alien face printed into the design and is marked with "Area 51 Classified". My final box arm also has a UFO on the arm of the box but that isn't present in this rendering.
Mechanism
Mechanism
The hinge of the box is a simple design with loops for a pin to be inserted into, holding the two halves together and allowing them to rotate. The pin I used was just a section of filament which worked well.
The casing for the box is made up of three pieces: the main body that houses the electronics, the outer shell, and the hinge. The three parts are easy to disassemble to that the box can be worked on.
Electronics
Electronics
The main electronic components for this system are a battery pack, a motor, a limit switch, and a two way switch that controls the direction of the motor. To attach the components together I soldered and then applied heat shrink to all the connections.
Some of these components were a bit tricky to solder, especially the limit switch but in the end everything worked out well and the circuit worked as intended.
Test Printing
Test Printing
Test prints in PrusaSlicer. These are cut down to only the essential features being tested so they only take about 20 to 30 minutes to print.
Test print of the box arm. This worked on my first try.
Test print of the limit switch mounting point. This also worked on the first attempt.
Test print of the hinge. This took a few tries to get right. Usually it was just a bit too tight.
Completed Box
Completed Box
Overall this project turned out pretty cool. There were definitely some frustrating parts, the SolidWorks assembly being the main one, but all in all everything came together and worked well.
Drawing Package
Drawing Package
Drawing Package.pdfPage updated
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