MartinRissseeuw how to make almost anything

Elements construction kit

Task:
Design, make, and document a press-fit construction kit

Description:
When thinking about constructions I thought about molecules. This is why I created an easy to use tool for teachers to explain the periodic table of elements. This construction kit intends to be a fun and educational way for kids to build their own molecules.

Explanation:
Due to some problems with the laser I couldn't use the laser cutter this week, so, I tried to make my connections on the Roland Modela, which was a very good experience.

Vinyl cutter
With the vinyl cutter we did some small tests to create some stickers. I used Metamark E Series black vinyl paper which provides a very good quality. The machine settings used for the stickers were the following: speed: 20 cm/s, Force 160GF.

Roland Modela
For the milling process I used the fab modules that I installed following the instructions of fellow student Jean-Baptiste, I drew the objects in illustrator(see image below) and loaded it as an PNG image into the fab modules. One should pay attention to export the image with a high DPI value, at least 500dpi. As one can see, I created dog bones for the milling process, this because the milling bit isn't able to make straight corners.

Setup Roland Modela:
settings

Assignment images:

vinyl_sticker
Vinyl sticker tryout that I designed in Illustrator for my macbook.
lasercut_sketch_v7_tests_v2-01
PNG used to load into the Fab Modules. (DPI 1000)
roland_cutting
Result of the cut. As you can see it had an error because the tape didn't keep stuck. This is why it is important to clean the surfaces.
roland_cutting
Trying to model my lamp prototype into 123D Make. Very simple and useful program.
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
lasercut_01
I tried to first make a bigger prototype but it did not work out, this because the press fit was to tight and the model was crooked. The material was not 100% flat while laser cutting.
lasercut_01
Test to make curved flex parts out of MDF
lasercut_01
Test to make curved flex parts out of MDF
lasercut_01
Test to make curved flex parts out of MDF

Conclusion:
The laser cutter and the vinyl cutter are two great machines. I'm interested in the ability to vinyl cut out a circuit board. The press fit technique has endless possibilities and I think this is something I can implement in my final project. This way everyone can create his or her own personal lamp.