Naldi Carrión

Individual Assignment Rules

Propose a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered, answering:

1. What will it do?
2. Who's done what beforehand?
3. What will you design?
4. What materials and components will be used?
5. Where will come from?
6. How much will they cost?
7. What parts and systems will be made?
8. What processes will be used?
9. What questions need to be answered?
10. How will it be evaluated?

Your project should incorporate 2D and 3D design, additive and subtractive fabrication processes, electronics design and production, embedded microcontroller interfacing and programming, system integration and packaging. Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable

What will I do?: Fabricating a Motorized Hidden Pop Up Shelf.

As a Funko Pop collector, kind of bubble head toys. I have problems of storage and showcase them, due to the high value of some of the items.Those unique and valuable items need to be protected, and avoid damages due to their exposure and manipulaton whihch increase their risk of sufaring any physical damage. Thus, I'm looking for a way to showcase some funkos, but reducing their level of physical exposure.

Hence, rather than acquiring or fabricating a simple shelf like the one shown in this picture, that does not allow showcasing special items. I want to develop modular hexagon shelves, that could fit togehter simulating a hidden wall. The idea is to build a first hexagon with a mobile top, when actioning it the top will open, activating a platform where the Funko will be place and will move forward to showcase the toy. Thus, the toy will be stored adequately and only when activating the shelf, it will appear.

The following image tried to provide a description of the functioning process of each 3D printed hexagon. The shelve could be closed and then could be actioned, the hexagon's top will open and a rectangular platform could slides to showcase a funko

I also develop 2D graphic representation of the prototype I want to develop, that bring and explanation aobut how will function using inkscape. The idea is similar to a Cukoo clock functioning system, actrivating it and showing the toy, and then close it and hide it again

And another 2D graphic representation using FreeCad that shows front and side views

Who's done what beforehand?

I visited some 3D printing designs repositories like thingiverse looking for hexagon shelves models, and found two that I think could be useful. The first are big hexagon sehlves, functioning in a modular way, the couple forming some kind of big shelve that could be ensamble. The problems with the design is that it seems very slim and it would need some kind of frame to contain a top. So the frame could also provide support to have a mobile top. Considering that I want to open and close them. I decide to look for hexagon wall shelves, that sometime I have seen used to hold flowerpots. I found a Wall mounted foldable modular hexagon shelf (print in place) desing by RiverRaid. You can observe that the design include one printed piece, that is foldable and have a frame, that allows to open and close the top, and support small flowerpots.

Hence, my idea is to build the wall using hexagon forms, like simulating a bee panal. That kind of structure could cover all or part of the wall. Could be built by modules, and each one could have different colors, like legos that are sticked together. Thus, some hexagons could be blank and other could containg funkos. In this way, not every hexagon serve as shelve, and coulb be build using playwood, and replace some the hexagons with 3D printed colored pieces. Like some art wall that I found on a friend house, that you can observe in the image. But instead of being 2D Hexagons stick in the wall, I can produce 3D hexagons inserted in a playwood wall.

Looking for mechanisms that I can use

Thinking that I would need to use stepper motors and servo motors that I could use. I comented my idea during a global open time, thus I found some interest ideas, from artist and from previos FabAcademy Students. First I found Gonzalo Siu's FabAcademy 2015 final project.

During global open time I comment about my final prject idea and they suggest me to watch a group project develop by Benjamin Bente and Joany Jonathan from waag fab lab called the motion wall final project. .

Due to its similar functioning to a Cukoo Clock system, I look for someone that would replicate an automate Cukoo clock. I found Andy Bradford Web Page, that shares his project about a Connected Cuckoo Clock. Its result is show in the vieo below.

What will I design?

For my project I will need to design the following:

1. Desing a 3D Printed Top, a hexagon frame with a top that will open at the from, and that will contain 1 micro limit switch
2. Desing a CNC milled/laser cutted 3D Shelf, that will contain the hexagon frame
3. Desing a laser cutted rectangular platform
4. Desing a 3D Printed The mechanical case that will contain the Stepper motor, the linear rail and 2 micro limit switch
5. Desing a 3D Printed 2 mechanical case/pieces that will hold the belt
6. Design and fabricated four (04) different electronic boards
• 1 board to manage two servo motors that will open the top
• 1 board to manage a Stepper motor, that will move the platform where the toy will be placed
• 3 boards to control 3 limit switch, that will control the top and platform movements
• 1 main board for the XiaoESP32C3, that will control all the periphericals

What materials and components will be used, where will they came from, and How much will they cost?

The following table provides details about the materials and components that I will use.

What parts and systems will be made?

For my project I will made/fabricate the following:

1. A 3D Print Top, a hexagon mobile frame with a top that will open at the from, and that will contain 1 micro limit switch
2. A CNC Milled and laser cutted Hexagon Shelf (container), that will contain the hexagon frame
3. A laser cutted rectangular platform
4. A 3D printed case that will contain the Stepper motor, the linear rail and 2 micro limit switch
5. 2 3D printed mechanical case/pieces that will hold the belt
6. I will fabricate four (04) different electronic boards
• 1 board to manage two servo motors that will open the top
• 1 board to manage a Stepper motor, that will move the platform where the toy will be placed
• 3 boards to control 3 limit switch, that will control the top and platform movements
• 1 main board for the XiaoESP32C3, that will control all the periphericals

What processes will be used?

For my project I will use the following processes:

1. 3D printing: To fabricate the Shelf's Top, the stepper motor's case - joint with the linear rail holder, and 2 mechanical case/pieces that will hold the belt
2. Large CNC Milling: To fabricate the base of the shelf
3. Laser Cutting: To fabricate the shelf's walls (sides) and the rectangular platform
4. Small CNC Milling: to fabricate four (04) different electronic boards
• 1 board to manage two servo motors that will open the top
• 1 board to manage a Stepper motor, that will move the platform where the toy will be placed
• 3 boards to control 3 limit switch, that will control the top and platform movements
• 1 main board for the XiaoESP32C3, that will control all the periphericals

What questions need to be answered?

At this moment, the following questions arise:
Could a program be created to move both servo motors simultaniously in opposite directions at the same time? Could the integration be achieved without delays? Should other materials be used to fabricate the case? Would be useful to replicate a 3D printer mechanical movement of the platform? I will answer those question while designing and fabricating my prototype parts in the following weeks, while trying to stick to the project plan that you can see in the following pictures

How will it be evaluated?

The main function of the machine is to create showcase and hide objects (funkos), so the project will be evaluated based on achieving both objectives. For testing purposes, I will used real toys expenting to recreate a stable XY axis movement. Additionally, each system must be tested separately: The servo motors need to be able to open the printed top, and it would be tested first. Then I will test the limit switches systems, the fisrt one located at the base of the mobile top that will active the stepper motor to generate the platform movement. Then, the second switch will alert the motor to stop the showcase. Then, a new command will activate the platform movement in opposite way and the third switch will stop the motor again, complete hidden the object.

Reference

Estimated costs taken from Sai SAC Store