Week 2 - Journal
Ideation
Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What were you inspired by?
Introduction:
This week assignment was mainly to setup and get quickly into the interface of Fusion 360, creating sketches, extrude 2.5D and assembly of the different parts.
The Main assignment for this week is to use fusion 360 to design a mobile holder/stand to be suitable on a flat surface (table) and to to be cut with laser machine the next week.
Inspiration:
I used google search and pinterest to find some ideas to get inspired of using search word "simple mobile holder laser cut"
Inspirations
Idea:
My idea was to design a simple holder with the least number of parts that connect with each other by overlapping and screws to fix the holder in all planes.
My Final Design
Tool Chain
Which software/machines/materials did you use this week? Why?
Softwares:
I used Autodesk Fusion 360 for sketching the designs and the assembly and to get dxf files to be fabricated by the laser cutting machine.
Laserwork v6 is used to get the dxf file ready to print and send it to the laser cutting machine and setting the speed and the power of the laser beam
I also used CorelDRAW software to solve a problem in lineweight to be (Hair line) and the overlapping duplicate lines just before sending the file to machine in the lab.
I also used a virtual machine software to get over a technical problem related to the compatibility to the software.
Machines:
Morn MT3050D Laser cutting machine
Materials:
Polywood 3mm thickness.
Design Process
Explain the design process of your assignment. How did you use the tool/software to design and/or simulate your assignment?
My design process started by getting inspired by other ideas and i got my modifications on it during the design process on fusion 360 and i added the t slots for the screws connection in my design for better stability in other directions.
I started by taking dimensions of my mobile phone (Length,Width and Thickness) and created a new component and started to sketch on x-y plane and sketched the rectangle (from its middle point) with L and W and then extruded it with the required thickness and then rotated the cuboid simulating the mobile with a suitable angle 60 dgrees
Then i started creating a new sketch of a rectangle (first panel of the mobile holder) also in xy plane with 45 degree to the mobile mobile and with reasonable length.
Then I extruded the rectangle in z direction with a distance allowing it to reach the mobile phone.
Make mirror to the rectangular panel around z axis to create second panel and Combine Bodies to get the intersection between the panels and the mobile phone
Create a new sketch on the upper plane of one of the two panels and select project a sketch from create menu of the two panels on the new plane to get the intersection between the 2 panels. then you get the square intersection between the 2 panel and extrude it with (cut) from the top of one of the 2 panels with half the height of the panel (i used inspection to get the clear height)
Repeat this step and create a new sketch on the plane at the bottom of the other panel and project the sketch for the second time to get the intersection between the panels at the bottom and extrude the intersection with cut to the other panel to get 2 void slots in opposite directions in the 2 panels.
Then I create a new sketch on the plane of one of the panels and create project sketch to the panel to extract 2D profile of the panel and check on the option to link the 3D with the 2D projected sketch.
Then i Edited this sketch to get the voids i need and extruded it to cut the panel.
I repeat this step for the other panel.
To reinforce my design i created t slot for the scews connection. i edited the sketch withe the dimensions of the t slot and i extruded it to cut the panel
Then i made the fillets to my design to be user friendly and avoid sharp edges and once i update the 2D sketch the 3D model is updated
Then i right clicked the sketch for the panels and saved as .dxf files to get the files ready for print.
Fabrication/Implementation Process
Explain the fabrication/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?
1- I open laser works and import the dxf file and set the speed 23mm/s and the power 65%
2- download the file on the machine and rename the file
3- check the power on the laser cutting machine (power it on)
4- check the origin of the machine by controlling the arrows (up-down-right-left) and click on origin button to set the origin
4- open files on the machine and search for the named file to print and track the cut area
5- control the vertical distance of the bed to the laser handle to just fit a coin (from the side of the machine)
6- select the file again from the machine and start the cut process
7- i got the 2 panels cut and connect them together and completed the connection by the scews and nuts
VID20210128221614.mp4Community of Learning
Did you ask for feedback? What are the ideas that others have contributed or suggested? What was someone else’s idea that you built upon? How did you help your peers? How did your peers help you?
In the mid week and end of week sessions many question were asked by me and my peers even before the sessions. the most highlighted question was about missing data (dimensions) in a part of the catapult, first we made sure that the missing data can't be concluded and that was really missing, the result that the file is updated in the nest following days with the right dimensions.
my peers and i started sharing our ideas about the mobile holder and what are the necessities, what to do and what not to do.
Also for the compatibility of the software with my windows i asked for suggestions and my peers and the instructor suggested too use a virtual machine with the compatible windows in case i can't change the windows.
Overcoming Challenges
When you got stuck, what/who did you turn to? At what point did you have to pause to research or learn more before moving on? What are some mistakes, pitfalls, or challenges that others can avoid if they were doing this project?
First: fusion 360 doesn't support windows 7 since 14/1/2020 and that was my first struggle and challenge with fusion 360. i asked my peers and the instructor and the solution for me was to use a virtual machine with windows 10 to overcome this problem, But that took a long time which made the time left for the tasks very short to finish it on time.
Second: the move and copy order in fusion 360 isn't familiar to me i any other drafting or modeling softwares so i watched some online tutorials and i took me time to understand how it works in fusion 360 and get to familiar with it.
Third: when extruding a copied component, only one of the copies is extruded and the other disappear. Solution: i googled the problem when copying a component make sure its independent from the original component and this happens by copying and (paste new) not just (paste). only paste makes the copied components dependent on each other and any change on one othe components affects the others.
Final Project
How can you use the skills and knowledge that you've acquired this week in your final project?
This week assignment was about sketching the design and making the assembly to prepare the file to be cut on the laser cutting machine (to be fabricated) and this will obviously be a part of my final project. Also the assignment of this week made me understand more about joints and how it can be designed. In addition that for this week i am training on how to develop your idea / inspiration into a real dimensions model to be fabricated using laser cutting machine. i also knew some basic information about the laser cutting machine in the fab lab and what it can/ can't cut and what is the restrictions. and i knew more about the material i can use in the fab lab in my project (wood 3mm).
WOW!
What is the coolest thing that you've learned this week? What is something that you will never forget from this week?
The coolest thing is that i succeeded in my first assembly to a machine (the catapult) the field that i'have always thought i am not fitting to. i have a history full of struggle with machine drawings in undergraduate years but i i think i am getting over this and i am really happy with my catapult ;).
Also i am passionate in learning new softwares, and it seams that fusion 360 has many to give me.
And because of the the compatibility issue of windows 7 now i am familiar with a term i never heard of before which is virtual machine that helped me solve a big problem that could stop me from the start.
