Week-18 Applications and implications, project development

This is my 18th week at Fabacademy. This week I was learning about applications and implications regarding project development. The assignment of the week consisted of:

• Plan a final project masterpiece that integrates the range of units covered, answering: What will it do? Who’s done what beforehand? What sources will you use? What will you design? What materials and components will be used? Where will come from? How much will they cost? What parts and systems will be made? What processes will be used? What questions need to be answered? How will it be evaluated?

• Your project should incorporate 2D and 3D design, additive and subtractive fabrication processes, electronics design and production, embedded microcontroller design, 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 it do? what will you design?

My project idea consists of a building component that is capable of saving energy consumption in buildings. More specifically, the component consists of a fassade wall element that integrates a series of construction materials and electronic devices so that the saves of energy are generated in a relatively automatic and autonomous way. The idea is that the fassade component includes temperature sensors and servo-controlled gates so that enforces air convection (and thus cooling) when temperature is too high (for instance in the summer) while it automatically closes the gates (thus enhancing thermal insulation and trigerring heating) when temperature outside is cold (for instance in the winters).

In the following I explain what it will do in the simplest possible way I can:

• Outside is hot -> then open the gates -> air convection -> cooling.
• Outside is cold -> then closet he gates -> air tightness -> enhanced thermal insulation plus heat radiation -> heating.

Who’s done what beforehand?

Home automation and energy efficiency in buildings are to massive technological fields that include many investigations and innovations. Therefore, inventing completely new concepts is not easy. The physical working logic of the wall being proposed was invented by the French architect Félix Trombe, labelling this wall as the Trombe Wall (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombe_wall). However, even Félix Trome took many concepts of a previous inventor, the American professor Edward S. Morse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_S._Morse) who designed several air heaters using a similar princple.

Regarding the application of domotics in Trombe walls, the previous works are more limited, but still there are previous investigations and commercial products. For instance, the company Domintell in Spain offers a Trombe Wall that is controled trhough domotics. The wall uses relatively complex/expensive components, for instance it uses a shutter control module (the DTRV01 https://www.domintell.es/persianas/modulo-control-4-motores-de-persiana), designed to automate devices such as flaps, valves, or motors that costs about 275 Euro each. Other individual projects can also be found, for instance this building in Gijón (Spain) that also used a Trombe Wall with some domotics https://www.ecubo.net/proyecto/proyectos-de-instalaciones-de-climatizacion-muro-trombe/).

Regarding similar applications in the academic field, some investigators of the Autonomous University of México designed a similar system that also included sensoring and automation. The researchers bought the most electronic parts and used the Arduino board, details can be seen here: https://www.academia.edu/38239208/Propuesta_de_sistema_pasivo_automatizado_para_el_acondicionamiento_del_aire_en_casa_habitaci%C3%B3n.

What sources will you use? what materials will you use? how much will it cost?

The main components with its corresponding sources and price are listed in the following table, the Bill of Materials can be downoloaded in the replication section.

Regarding the machines to be used, they are detailed in the following table:

Regarding the software I will use for design and fabrication, it entails the following tools and corresponding versions/builts:

What parts and systems will be made and following which processes?

Following the instructions of the FabAcademy and my instructors, I will try to fabricate most of the parts of my component. Specifically, the design and fabrication will covrer the following parts/systems:

• PCB design and fabrication. I will design and fabricate my PCB following KiCad-> Gimp-> VCarve -> CNC for the fabrication.
• I will solder all electronic components and ammend adapt wiring where needed.
• Wooden parts (all parts comprising the wall element itself): all wooden parts will be designed and fabricated following Grasshopper-> VCarve -> CNC milling.
• Metacrylate parts (all parts comprising the gates for convection and the sealing of the wall compartment): all metacrylate parts will be designed and fabricated following: Grasshopper -> Corel Draw -> Laser cutting.
• PLA parts (boxes for containing the PCB and servos): all parts will be designed and fabricated following: Grasshopper -> Prusa Slicer -> 3D Printing.
• The utilization of mechanical connections (screwing) will be minimized as much as possible promoting direct assembling of wooden parts thanks to CNC cutting.

What questions need to be answered?

• Can the wall be expected to be used in a fully autonomous way?
• Will be problems with the opening/closing of the gates by using conventional (small) servos?
• What will be the energy consumption of the electronics system?
• Could this system be scaled in a straightforward way?

How will be evaluated?

• Integration of the automation system in the aesthetics of an architectural wall.
• Efficiency of the energy consumed, and potential comparison with the savings.
• Potential to be scaled in real construction projects of mid to large buildings.
• Expected cost in real applications.
• Robustness/expected durability and mainteinance/repair difficulty and costs.

Pre-Assessment of Fab Requirements

According to the rules of the FabAcademy my project should incorporate the following components. In the following I indicate, in a preliminary manner according to my plans, wheter they are or not accomplished:

• 2D and 3D design, YES (CNC/laser and PCB parts are 2D, PLA parts are 3D designed and fabricated)

additive and subtractive fabrication processes, YES, CNC cutting, Laser Cutting, PLA printing

electronics design and production, YES, PCB design and milling, soldering of components

embedded microcontroller design, interfacing, and programming, YES Arduino IDE programming

system integration and packaging YES boxes for containing electronics and Servos, favouring integration as much as possible with final product

• Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project, YES I will try to fabricate all parts of the wall element.

• Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual, IN MY CASE IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT.

  mastery of the skills, and be independently operable

Files for download and replication

Excel spreadsheet including Bill of Materials, Machines and Software to use: BOM