DF

For this past week in design futures, I have been working on my mechanism. I just finished the part of my mechanism where it holds the soccer ball, and this is what it looks like so far:

DF

Today in DF I handed in my assignment which was a relief now that it is over. However I went into the workshop and was very productive. I used the hot melt glue gun to glue the stand for the ball that moves up and down. This has turned out well but still need more attention to be perfect. This is what it looks like so far:

Design Futures Questions NOT FINISHED

Design Futures:
Assignment Questions


List the materials that were used in the construction of your mechanised toy.
Band saw
Hot-melt Glue Gun
End-Grain sander
Belt sander
Hammer
Clamp
Electric Drill
Hole drill

b. Describe some environmental problems which are caused by the overuse of wood products (i.e. deforestation).
An environmental problem caused by the overuse of wood products is deforestation. Not only are the forests destroyed, but also the habitat of many native fauna and flora. Through the destruction of their habitats, their lives are also at risk as well as the survival of their species. For example, birds may lose their nests, which means their species of birds could become endangered. Another environmental problem which is caused by the overuse of wood products is pollution. Every time a tree is chopped down, it has to be made into products such as paper through factories. These factories take up a large amounts of space, and more importantly, they also use electricity therefore creating greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Therefore it is bad for the environment.

c. Explain the difference between ‘open-loop and closed-loop’ control systems. Give an example of each.
An open loop is not self adjusting, it is controlled by it's input only. A closed loop's primary operation is not controlled by it's input, but it can dynamically adjust itself depending on the input. An irrigation sprinkler system, programmed to turn on at set times could be an example of an open-loop system. An example of a closed-loop control system are a mouse on a computer.

d. Provide a brief description of 3 different types of mechanisms i.e. linkage, cams
Cam: A cam is a projection on a rotating part in machinery, designed to make sliding contact with another part while rotating and to impart reciprocal or variable motion to it.

Linkage: A mechanical linkage is a series of rigid links connected with joints to form a closed chain, or a series of closed chains. Each link has two or more joints, and the joints have various degrees of freedom to allow motion between the links.

Pulley: A wheel with a grooved rim around which a cord passes. It acts to change the direction of a force applied to the cord and is chiefly used (typically in combination) to raise heavy weights.

e. Provide an in depth description of the primary mechanism used in your toy.
The primary mechanism used in my mechanism is circular cams. Although there is only one cam that can only be moved manually. This cam is used in a circular motion by moving the handle in a circular motion which creates the output of making the leg move up and down. The input on the mechanism is the force of the movement the cam has and does.

f. Evaluate your finished product in terms of ergonomics, aesthetics and function.
Function:
Although I have not completed the mechanism yet, I do have an reasonable accurate idea on what the mechanism will turn out like. Overall, I think this mechanism does what it was aimed at to do. So far, it works very effectively and efficiently. In conclusion, improvements I can make to help my mechanism improve its aim, is to make the leg go upwards more.

Aesthetics:
I am very with the movement the 'soccer player' creates by kicking the ball up and then the ball coming back down. The design is going to very modern with lots of bright colours which means it would look really good just as much as it works very good.

Ergonomics:
In terms of ergonomics, this mechanism is extremely safe as their is little chance you will become injured by getting fingers stuck or hurting yourself. The convenience of this mechanism is very convenient as it is very easy to use and also it is not even heavy and big, therefore very convenient.

DF

For this past week in Design Futures, I have been extremely productive. I was able to start the rotary motion part of my mechanism which was very interesting. I also used the hot glue gun to glue my football player to the base of my mechanism which was a great achievement. I also have stater the part of the mechanism which hold the ball which goes up and down from the force from the foot kicking the ball. This is what my mechanism looks like so far:

DF

For this past few days, it has been very fun and productive. I have made the base of the mechanism which is looking really nice. This is what it looks like:

DF

Today was a very productive day. I started my Football player which was fun but had to get help from Mr Ward which was good. The first stage in my mechanism was to make the actual person. This included combining four pieces of timber together to make a block of wood. From there I drew an out line of the main body shape which was hard, but turned out good because of Mr Wards help. Then I cut out the shape with the band saw. After this I then cut of one of the legs with the band saw and remade another leg which is the leg that will move from the mechanism. From there I just smoothed out the body and leg with sand paper and the sanding machine. After this I took a photo of my progress:

DF

Today in DF was very productive. It was the first DF lesson for the term and was really fun. During the lesson I posted on my blog and also went into the workshop to watch Mr Ward on how to cut and measure the materials we will use.

DF

Yesterday in DF we had a great and very productive. I looked at all the mechanisms and have decided I will be doing a footballer kicking a ball.
Input motion: Rotary motion
Output motion: Oscillating motion
Mechanisms in toy: Crank, shaft, lever

DF

For this past week after finally finishing our CAD assignment which I got an A for which I was very happy with, we started on our new topic. The topic we are doing is mechanisms which will be extremely fun. This task is to make a mechanism in a toy. For this week we have been looking and I have found some that I do like and might want to do.

DF

Today in DF I started to print out the 3D drawings of my vase and stand and they actually turned out extremely well. I also did an engineering drawing of my vase and stand which I am very happy with.

Vase and Stand

I have finally finished my Vase project and have made a stand to go with it:

DF First Idea

During this lesson I started to make a sketch of what I think I could have a my Vase:

DF Ideas

Today in DF I came and looked on the Internet for some ideas for Vases and found some:

DF

Overall the tools we learnt to use in our work on Pro Desktop are
- Extrude
- Project
- Lines
- Select edges, lines, faces, parts
- How to create different shapes
- Change the dimensions on different parts
- Flip
- Connect different parts by mate
- Add text on our shape
- Change work-planes
- Print
- Engineering drawing
- Label
- Revolve
- Round edges
- Shell solids
- Delete line segments
- Tumble the models
- Toggle constructions

DF

Today we worked on our assignments. But at the start of the lesson Mr Ward showed us tutorials on blackboard that he put up that he said could help us. He also explained how to get and A which I am specifically aiming for this semester.

DF

Today we worked on a wheel from the ProDesktop Booklet and we finally got our assignment. Our task was to make a case on Pro Desktop and hand in a 500 word page on CAD. So far this assignment seems to be going well.

DF

For this past week we have been working on Pro Desktop again and this time we are working on a remote.

DF

For this past week we have been working on Pro Desktop again and this time we are working on our remote which is really fun.

DF (3D Modelling)

This week has been very interesting. As I have been away for the first week of term, I have had to do some catching up on what we were doing in DF. During this term, our class will be doing 3D Modelling on the computer. Our brief is to make an iPod type of techology. The program we have been using is called ProDesktop. However, because we had just started on this program, our first task was to create a Pager which we are still in the process of making.

Desk Tidy Questions

1. Choose 2 machines that you used in the fabrication of your desk tidy. With these machines in mind, outline WPH&S considerations that must be adhered to when using these machines. Include photographs of your chosen machines (OnGuard may be an excellent resource for this question). Electic Belt & Disc Sander:
- Must have saftey glasses on
- Aprons must worn
- No items can be sanded unless they are bigger than 3cm
- Make sure no one is within half a metre when using
- Machine must be turned of when not in use
- Girls must have long hair tied back away from machine
- Must have leather closed in shoes when using

Band Saw:
- Must wear saftey glasses
- Aprons must be worn
- Items smaller than 3cm can not be used for this machine
- No one is allowed within a metre of the working area if one person is already using
- Machine must be turned off when not in use
- Anyone with long hair, it must be tied back when using machine
- Must have leather closed in shoes when using

2. The material you are using for your desk tidy is called Polymethylmethacrylate (ACRYLIC). It has specific properties and uses.  Choose 2 other common polymers and in table form give their industrial name, common name, properties and uses.
Poly:
Industrial Name = Methyl Methacrylate
Common Name = PMMA/Plexiglass
Properties =
- Shatterproof
- More transparent than glass
- Stronger than glass
Uses = Shatterproof Replacement for Glass, In a fish aquarium it is used to see through so you can see the fish, Used as barriers in ice hockey rinks.
Lexan:
Industrial Name = Polycarbonate
Common Name = Lexan
Properties =
- 250 times stronger than plate glass
- 30 times stronger than acrylic of equal thickness
- Provides lasting protection
- Unlikely to break, twisted, bent or smashed against
Uses = Provides lasting protection against vandalism and burglary, also provides protection against natural occurrences, such as high winds, snow loads, and hailstorms

3. Extrusion, injection moulding, compression moulding, vacuum forming and laminating are examples of common manufacturing processes used with polymers (Plastics). Choose one process and with the use of diagrams and bullet points outline the process.
Vacuum Forming:
- First, a former is made from a material such as a soft wood. The edges or sides are shaped at an angle so that when the plastic is formed over it, the former can be removed easily.
- The former is placed in a vacuum former.
- A sheet of plastic (for example, compressed polystyrene) is clamped in position above the mould.
- The heater is then turned on and the plastic slowly becomes soft and pliable as it heats up. The plastic can be seen to 'warp' and 'distort' as the surface expands.
- After a few minutes the plastic is ready for ‘forming’ as it becomes very flexible.
- The heater is turned off and the mould is moved upwards by lifting the lever until it locks in position.
- The 'vacuum' is turned on and this pumps out all the air beneath the plastic sheet. Atmospheric pressure above the plastic sheet pushes it down on the mould. At this stage the shape of the mould can be clearly seen through the plastic sheet. When the plastic has cooled sufficiently the vacuum pump is switched off.
- The plastic sheet is removed from the vacuum former. The sheet has the shape of the former pressed into its surface.
- The excess plastic is trimmed so that only the plastic bowl remains
- The completed item.

4. Extension Work - Using processes acquired from your maths lessons, calculate the amount of acrylic sheet that your FINAL desk tidy represents. Show all calculations; answer needs to be in square metres.

Therefore the total area of the desk tidy is 4.3525m2

DF (Sketch)

This is my updated sketch to my desk tidy which have completed:

DF (Finished)

Today I finally finished my desk tidy which I actually finished earlier than everyone else which I am extremely happy with. After waiting over the weekend for the acrylic glue to dry I was able to clean it up with methelated spirits. As the end result it looks like this:

DF

Today was a really exciting day. After glueing the bases together I finally was able to start to glue my iPad stand to my bases which looked awesome. This is what they looked like:

DF

Today was a very productive day. I started to glue my base to my back stand. And to do this I had to use acrylic glue which turned out to be a bit of a pain because it took quite a while to at least dry so for about 15-20 minutes of the lesson I had to hold it together. Once it dried I still had to let it secure so I clamped it together with a clamp. Once that was completed I had decided to start creating my ipad stand. So I cut a piece of grey plastic out and smoothed it out with the sander and started to measure where to bend.
This is my sketch of my desk tidy so far:

DF (Workshop)

For the past week I have actually been in the workshop which is great. So far I have actually done the base in parts and now all i need to do is glue it together to make it stable and one piece.

DF Video Report

- Biggest process is thinking

- You have to know the materials your dealing with

- Polypropylene: to make containers that keep their shape

- Drawings should tell you everything about the product

- When finished ideation, goes into production

- Look out for different shapes and sizes and surface textures

- Get the brief clear in your head

- Good design should be inspected

next, the horses entire body should be brushed starting from its neck and ending with its hindquarters

DF (Desk Tidy)

For the past week I have been sketching my Desk Tidy which I finally sketched up. I actually got into the workshop and staarted to cut out parts of my desk tidy. But when it turned out to be quite difficult to build the ipad stand, Mr Ward gave a new idea of connecting the base with the ipad stand which I am starting to sketch once again.

DF (Desk Tidy Idea)

Today I made a full sketch of what I could do for my desk tidy. This is it:

Design Futures (New Brief)

Today I ideated through the new brief of making a desk tidy. Overall I did find some images from the internet I might use which are:

Evaluation

Function:
For the function of my LED light, it has solved the problem. It is a small working task lamp using LED technology.  It is also a freestanding and stable lamp. Therefore it does what it was meant to do. It also performs very efficiently and efectively. And if I had done this design again, I would have used a switch on the wire so I wouldn't always have to turn it off from the power-point.

Aesthetics:
As for the aesthetics of this lamp, it does have a very pleasing view. In terms of its shape, it gives others the pleasing fact that it gives the worker space to move their gear around the desk. It also gives the workers more space due to this lamp dosen't take up much space. Another pleasing fact about the lamp is the texture. Especially the Jarra wood that was used. The texture of the wood is very nice due to it looks neat and very modern.

Ergonomics:
Based on this lamp, its ergonomics are fairly good. Based on its convenience towards the worker, it gives a lot of room under the light as well as the artefact not taking up a lot of room. Therefore it gives the worker a lot of convenience. But one aspect of ergonomics that is difficuly is that you always have to get up and turn the lamp off from the power-point which isn't a convenience at all.

Economics:
Through the economics of everything that went into making this LED lamp, overall it is quite cheap. All that was needed was LED strips, polly carbonate paper, Jarra wood, alluminium and wire.

DF (New Brief)

Today we had a look at the new brief which we will be starting next term. Our problem is to create a desk tidy for our desks that can only go within the area of 200mm by 200mm. I can't wait to start it but the bad thing is that Mr Ward is going on long service leave and we will be getting a new teacher until Mr Ward comes back in term 3.

DF (Working)

Today was more like a lesson of just theory. I tried to complete as much as I could for my assignment which is going well.

DF

Today we learnt about our assignment. Mr Ward decided that we are to go through the powerpoints on blackboard that relates to the aspects of design. They are functions, aesthetics, economics, and ergonomics.

DF (Taking it Home)

Today I had a bit of a rest from the workshop. After finishing my lamp I decided to complete the rest of my assignment and we finally got to take them home.

DF (Finished Product)

Today I had finished my lamp. I connected all the wires with the solder and drilled the hole. I used Polly Carbonate Paper to cover up the wires. I also polished/made the Jarra wood shine or richer with Scandinavian Oil and a rag. With that I took photos of it from different angles:



FROM THE FRONT

BACK

 

LED LIGHT

WHOLE LAMP

Design Futures (Making the Light)

To was mainly about learning how construct the light together with all the wires. First Mr Ward showed us how to make a hole in the Jarra wood for the wires to go through. For that we needed a electric drill and we then drilled it through the aluminium and the wood. Then he showed us the LED light we will be using. He then told us to cut it to the length we would need it to. We then cut the wire to length we needed it to. After, we cut the rubber off and twisted them all together. We then soldered the wire and the copper on the light strip with the solder. After that, we soldered them togther and put a rubber like protection on the wire and the copper. And used the solder pro to make the rubber fit it perfectly on it. I didn't have enough time to do all of it though because we didn't have enough time.

DF (Workshop [nailing])

Today was a very productive day. We finally learnt how to assemble the stem to the base. While Mr Ward was showing us how to, he used my lamp as the example. We learnt about he power drill and how to make a pilot hole. It was really fun. When we assembled my lamp together we test the balance and failed. It kept falling forward and therefore was not stable. As a backup I decided to cut off just under 5cm of aluminium form the top to make it more stable. I then used the sanding mahine to smooth out the sharp edges and the tested it again it finally worked out to be stable which was a relief.

Design Futures (In the Workshop)

Today we were in the workshop. We were working on our lamps. For me, I had shaped my Jarra Wood and my aluminium shape and size and now, all I have to do is learn how to nail them together which Mr Ward said we would learn next lesson. I also have sanded the wood with sand paper so it is smooth and I also got rid of the scratches on the wood from the sanding machine. It took quite a while but I did it in the end.

Design Futures (Assignment)

Since I have been away for the past 2 days I have decided to work on my assignment.

1. What is the actual difference between light of different colours?

The difference between light of different colours is their materials because all colours are a mix of materials but different colours have different materials that are being burnt. Therefore the actual difference between light of different colours is there materials.

2. Define the following lighting terms: ambient light, direct light, luminosity, energy efficiency, watts.

Ambient Light = Ambient light is the available light in a room, whether by natural or mechanical sources.

Direct Light = Light which is directed at just the subject or thing.

Luminosity = Is the brightness of the light.

Energy Efficiency = Amount of light or energy being used.

Watts = Is an amount of energy.

3. Comment on Global warming.

Global warming is the effects of carbon being released into the atmosphere by things like buring coal and oil. This seriously bad for the environment and must change.

4. How can the modern home become more energy efficient with regard to lighting?

A modern home can be more energy efficient by

- Low energy light bulbs

- Efficient appliances - modern electrical goods like cookers and fridges come with an A-E energy efficiency rating (A is the best rating and E is the lowest). Even though these may be a little more expensive to buy they will work out cheaper to run in the long term.

5. Research a modern-day lighting designer and comment on their contribution to the design world.

Peter Barnes (born on February 25th 1955 in Enfield, London, United Kingdom) is a lighting designer, lighting director, show producer and set designer. He is credited with more than 150 designs for live music, film, television, dance, fashion, art and architecture. He is known in the live music industry as 'the UK’s guru of pop lighting.

Design Futures

Today was so cool. We went into the workshop to finally work on our lamps. I actually made a slight change to my lamp. It was this:

But then I changed it to this:

I chose this mainly because I thought it would be a better design and would look better on the desk. At first Mr Ward gave me the idea which I thought was really good. So I decided to use it as my design. It turned out quite well and I now have to learn how to screw it on to each other.

Design Futures (Tour)

Today was mainly about Wardy's Wonderful Workshop Tour. Mr Ward introduced us to the workshop for the first time and it was very interesting. He also introduced us to some tools that we will be using while making our lamps. They were the scroll saw, buffing machine, small disc sander, belt sander, band saw, hot glue gun and the mandral/el. He showed us how they worked and also told us about what we do to turn them on and off and saftey equipment. Mr Ward also showed us the LED light strips we will be using which was so cool. He showed us where to cut them off and how to use them. We also got our piece of Jarra Wood and our alluminium and some wire. We used the wire to create a prototype for the allumium. For example, I will be doing this:

Overall it was a ver productive day. We will be starting to make our actual lamp tomorrow which I am so excited for.

Design Futures (IDEAS)

Today was a very productive day. I chose my idea of my lamp and what I will eventually build:

In the end I chose this design because I thought it would not take to much room and has lots of space under the light for a working area.

We also had a look at the LED light powerpoint. It told us about the types of light you could have such as lightning, candles, fireworks, street lights etc. It also told us what it could be used for such as a gathering(campfire), entertainment, religious reasons(christmas lights), art (avatar) etc.

Design Futures

Today was a day for ideas. Why? Because we started to form ideas for our lamp design. A few were these:

I am still not sure on which I prefer but I will surely find out soon. And we also found out what type of materials we will be using to make our lamps which will be aluminium and Jarra Wood.

Second Class for DF

Today, the class and I learnt a lot. We learnt about isometric drawing which are very cool and enable you to draw 3D drawings. An example is:

We also learnt about the design process in a powerpoint and how it can help us create our lamp.











We were also shown examples of the girls from last years lamps and it definately gave all of us some ideas of what we would like to create.

First DF Lesson

Today was my first DF lesson. Mr Ward, my teacher was very nice and funny and spoke to us about our first assignment. I was told I was going to make a lamp which I am definately excited about. And we could make it any design we wanted. He showed us the design brief which was to create a LED lamp used for working which is to be freestanding and stable. I am so excited for this year. It's going to be a good one.