Assignment3 - Reflection

Reflection

Summary 

Before studying this course, I thought that is really hard to create a curved or reverse curve shapes with out mechanical technique, or 3D printing technology. I would like to know how students in the industrial design discipline make their products especially with metal material. In architecture discipline there is few chance to use metal to make model, but models like Frank Gehry' Walt Disney Concert Hall have to use metal sheet to show the movement of the form and reflective materials.

From this course I learned how to make templates and use the templates to create shapes with metal sheets with different,  and the characteristics and capability of shrinking and stretching. And a well prepared template and tool choice can achieve a better result. In the project Reverse I was quite inspired by the beautiful shape. I didn't have time to actually make a design and model, but I made a image to show my idea of reverse roof. I think I can try to use metal sheet in my architecture model with the skills I learned from the course.

Review 

The Fuel Tank is the most interesting and difficult one of my projects in Digital Making. This project is a challenge for us to combine all the skills and techniques we have learned in this semester with some new process and using of software. Compare with the previous projects the Fuel Tank requires more accuracy to match the template so more and place the third with group members together to form the shape of the fuel tank.

Stage1: In group of 10 make the 1:1 Fuel Tank Template

In group of ten we chose the Custom tank for a CB55O, and used Rhino to prepare the Digital Tank Model File

Review: At that stage one of our group member operate the software to create the Digital model and in order to make the work of digital model making easier we decided to make a solid model and mark the gap of the tank later on the physical model - the template.

Stage2: 'Slice' and Laser cutting 

Use Autodesk Slicer for fusion 360 to 'slice' the Digital fuel tank for the Template. We decided to make 13x15 slices, the soft ware automatically generated slice file.

Then use the Trotec machine in workshop to do the laser cutting work.

Review:Again a team work stage, I think we worked quiet well together with in a group. The Autodesk Slicer is a new software for me, it is quiet amazing process to slice the model. In order to save time and material, we re arrange the layout in illustrate. The shapes in the slice file has innumerable line segment, so it still took us a long time to finish all the laser cutting, and in the process a invisible line in the illustrate actually destroy one of our plywood.

Stage3: Assemble the template

Assemble the template and glued all the slices together, to make it more stable.

Review: After we finished the template, we was quiet satisfied with the quality. And we had different opinion on whether we gonna cover the template or not.  I think without tapes cover around, we are able to identify where the bend is. But at the end we applied the tapes on template to modified the metal sheet with hammers on the template, and by cover the template with masking tape it is easier to see the overall radian. 

Stage4: Create the Pattern individually to shape the fuel tank contours on the aluminium sheet

With the 'pattern making'  to get an approximation of the dimension of the panel I chose. Mark the contours of the right piece of the fuel tank on the aluminium sheet and use guillotine to cut out excess material

Review: The pattern is a part of what I didn't do very well in last submission. The photo of this part was lost, so  I try to restore the production process again. Here is the process of illustrating the entire production pattern to understand the shape of the fuel tank.

Stage5: Shape the third of the whole fuel tank

Use a bead Roller to bend to sheet to match the main radian of the template.

Hammer the sheet with the metal forming dolly to make a full shape form.

Shrink the top edge for the panel with hammer on a U shape dolly.

Use English Wheel to smooth the sheet 

Use tinsnips to cut out excess materials to match the template.

Review: In the process of shape making, I found that other members of our group had a more clearer understanding of shape. They were able to identify where the shape bend . This is my weakness, so at the beginning I was quiet indecisive about the tool using. The resistance caused by the the overall radian and the top curve increase the difficulty. One of the members in my group used shrinker stretcher. I did not use it because the marks left by shrinker stretcher on the aluminium plate, is quiet hard to smooth out. It is also a quiet fast and effective way to shrink the edge on a radian aluminium sheet, but it may flat the radian.

Stage6: Place the third on the template with group members

Review

Review: I think we did a great team work job in Project 2, all of our group member are helpful, I learned a lot from them, they always give good advices while we shape the fuel tank. Project 2 is a challenge for me to use the skills and technique I learned from Project1, it is also a chance for me to understand and review the knowledge we learned from the whole semester.