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3. Computer Aided design

Studies

This week I studied lilltle bit about vector and raster images. Vector images are mathematical calculations from one point to another that from the lines and shappes. If you zoom into a vector graphic it will always look the same. A raster image has a specific number of pixels. When you enlarge the image file without changing the number of pixels, the image will look blurry. I learn how to distinguish raster and vector images, If your edges are blurry and appear to have various “shades” of color, then it is a raster image. If the edges are crisp and the color appears solid, it is a vector graphic. I have already experience in Photoshop Photoshop, Ki-CAD basic knowledge for circuit design and simulation, Auto-CAD 2016 just started to learn, VESTA just started to learn. Some of the drawings show below are related to my Fab Lab final project. Others are ongoing research activity learning through FabLab course assignment. A secondary backup project is also planing to 3D printed smart crystals using VESTA and Electronics. I am also using Fusion 360 education version which is good for 2D and 3D design for laser cutting CMC milling, 3D printing and so on.

2D Design

  • I install AutoCAD 2016-Educational Version to my computer (See the screenshots below). It is used to plot 2D, 3D drawings used for 3D printing, Laser cutting/shaping, images are used for the documentation of my final project.

  • Started to learn AutoCAD drawing. My project contains a 2D pictures of my bicycle harvester project. The screenshot below shows the AutoCAD drawing of my bicycle side view and top view.

  • Another AutoCAD designed structures for screen printing mask and antenna pattern for laser cutting are also shown as the screenshot below which are the part of my ongoing research.

  • The electronic parts included in the project are under planning to use Ki-CAD which is easy to clone with GitHub repositories. Below screenshot presents the Kicad library for a clone with GitHub. Installation and electronic design are in the pipeline.

  • VESTA is also planning to use for the 3D printed smart crystals backup project,I install VESTA for drawing electronic and crystallographic structures. See the screenshot of installed files; works are also in progress. Structural information such as lattice parameters, unit cell angle and coordinate positions are accessed from ICDD PDF+ database for drawing the structures. Animations are also possible with this software.

  • A aluminium oxide crystal file added to VESTA and draw the 3D structures. It is easy to modifiey it and reuse if we have another element crystallographic data. See the screenshot below which represent 3D views in normal and polyhydral.

3D Design

I decided to design a 3D file in fusion 360 educational version software. This design file is used for my final project package for my bicycle energy harvester. I started to sketch a circle with 70 mm diameter. See the screenshot below for the steps followed,

Then, I extruded to form a cylinder of thickness 40 mm to form a 3D cylinder. See the steps below of extrution.

Followed by, I made 3 mm hole through for the screws and make shell with 4 mm wall thickness with top side open. So that I can arrange my PCB board and LCD display stack together in one module. See the final 3D design in the below figure.

I need to modify this 3D design later on based on more functionality assigned for my final project.

Design files

References