Design Brief
The project covers the design, analysis and manufacture of physical product, graphics and packaging. You will use 3D digital Design to model the assembly, components, and suggest improvements to the design or new materials to produce the part using the full range of processes within the school. You will also be required to create working drawings of the components for inspection, computer animations for web site and Photo realistic renderings for publicity material. Your group will then (no more than 5) manufacture your product, to include graphics and packaging, produce a demonstration video and write a group report demonstrating the benefits and pit falls of the project. You have a budget of £50 per group for the prototype.
Manufacturing Considerations
Explanation of the Manufacturing Process
By creating digital, geometric representations of products in virtual 3D the data can then be converted into STL format. This captures data in 2d triangles so that it can be printed by a rapid prototyping machine. The prototype is formed by adding layers of acetyl together using a resin. This builds up a shape layer by layer in order to create the final shape.
Nesting
Because of the way that 3D printing works, it is possible to have parts closely stacked together. This minimises wasted space and can even be used to have moving parts in their correct place and orientation as soon as they are printed. There are various programmes which can be used to generate nests but it can also be done by designers and engineers by hand. It is easy for computer programmes to generate nests due to the uniform STL format. This allows shapes to be fitted incredibly closely together whilst still leaving a large enough gap.
Assembly
In the design which I have produced I believe that it could be printed as one product. In order to make this possible I have made sure that the fastenings have a gap between themselves and the holes which they are filling. This means that they will be printed as separate parts so will be able to move freely. I also had to take into account the gearing and make sure that whilst the gears meshed, they were not touching when it is printed. Both of these were tricky as I was working with very fine margins but I tried to leave gaps of at least 0.5mm.
Materials Selection
3D printing can now be used for both polymers and metals. This allows for a far wider range of products to be produced. For this project we have been asked to use Acetyl to produce our products which is a polymer which is a single bonded carbonyl. It is a common material for 3D printing and should be suitable for most shapes.
Final Individual Render
By Fergus Roddy
By Fergus Roddy
Final Group Render
Exploded View
Hero Shot
3D Printing Nesting
Advertising Video
By Hallam Collings
