Week 2 - Fab Academy - Computer Aided Design

Assignments of the Week

model (raster, vector, 2D, 3D, render, animate, simulate, ...) a possible final project
compress your images and videos, and post a description with your design files on your class page

My final project is a cortisol detection wristband, which determines human fatigue levels by measuring cortisol levels. I plan to use 3D printing technology to fabricate the circuit board.

Therefore, this week’s CAD assignment is to design a miniature PCB printer inspired by the V-One PCB printer. The V-One PCB printer, developed by Voltera, is a compact, high-precision device designed for rapid prototyping of traditional electronic circuits. It enables users to print conductive traces directly onto substrates, apply solder paste, and reflow components, making it a powerful tool for PCB prototyping.

In my design, the laser head will be replaced with a syringe filled with conductive silver ink. By extruding the ink through the syringe, it will be possible to precisely draw circuits on a 3D-printed substrate, facilitating the rapid production of flexible, stretchable, conformal, and biocompatible electronic circuits.

Task

The task this week is to use CAD software to design a miniature laser engraver. In subsequent operations, I will replace the laser head in the wristband with a syringe filled with conductive silver paste. In this way, by precisely extruding the syringe, circuits can be accurately drawn on the 3D printed substrate, quickly completing the production of flexible circuit boards and steadily advancing the wearable wristband project.

Components

This assignment consists of five parts: the base, bottom plate, top plate, and left and right supports.

Base

Sketch and Extrude: Start by sketching the base. Once the sketch is complete, begin extruding to get the desired shape.
Cutting: Next, perform some cutting to allow the front bracket and left and right supports to fit in. With this, the base is completed.

Support

Left Support: The idea is to first sketch the left support and then mirror it to get the other support. By extruding, the desired shape is obtained. Next, back up this component and import it into the design to get two identical supports.

Bottom and Top Plates

Top Plate: Start sketching the top plate, which is responsible for placing the lead screw motor. By drawing four squares in the middle to fix the lead screw motor, and extruding after completing the sketch, the top plate is obtained.
Bottom Plate: The bottom plate is similar to the top plate but differs in size. Below is the sketch of the bottom plate, which can be extruded to get the desired shape.

Assembly

Once all the components are drawn, you can begin the assembly process. Use the assembly command to select the contact points on the mating surfaces of the parts to be assembled, and set the motion type to rigid body. This will apply the necessary constraints, allowing you to construct a simple model of a miniature laser engraver.