L A B B O O K
U N F L A T M A T E R I A L S
&
T E C H N I Q U E S
FAINA IASEN HU |Â BHSAD, BA (Hons) Product Design Lvl. 5
U N F L A T
T I M E L I N E
O F
T H E
P R O J E C T
The brief and the goal of the project was to experiment with materials and techniques that we haven't tried before so I deceided to go from there and not from the product right away. I went through choice of both materials and techniques and then only started the ideation of the final product. After that I dived into experimentations and prototyping the final outcome. When I had time left afterproducing both parts of the product I also worked a bit on its branding concept.
T I M E L I N E
MATERIAL & TECHNIQUE CHOICE
PRODUCT IDEATION
EXPERIMENTATION
PROTOTYPES A1.1 — A2.3
PROTOTYPES B1.1 — B2.1
PROTOTYPE A3.1 - FINAL
PROTOTYPE B3.1 - FINAL
FINAL PRODUCT
BRANDING CONCEPT
U N F L A T
C H O I C E
O F
M A T E R I A L S
CHOOSE WISELY The choice of materials in this project kind of determines the boundaries and constraints of what I am going to be able to make in the end so I approached it logically and looked at my top-4 materials I'd lie to work with and then assed each one separetely on their qualities and features.
M A T E R I A L S
WOOD I love wood. The smell, the feel, the texture of it, how different it can be. But I've unfortunatelly only worked with plywood and shitty pine from Leroy Merlen. So I'd love to work with some actual quality wood this time.
GLASS I'm also really interested in idea how it is done outside workshops and I doubt the work with it so I think it's a
glasswork, but I have no actial of factories and special school has what's needed to miss this time.
METALS I've worked with brass, nickel and aluminium before but in very narrow constraints. It's an interesting material in terms of its capacity for flexibility and sturdiness at the same time but I doubt much can be made out of one A4 sized sheet so I'll probably skip on it this time.
LEATHER I've been into leather-work for about 3 years but never actually got to try myself, only observed others do it. I have some tools suitable for it and even some samples but leather is not quite a flexible material (natural leather, not the faux one — that thing is stretchy) so one A4 — again — doesn't really allow for much creativity.
U N F L A T
C H O I C E
O F
T E C H N I Q U E S
SOMETHING NEW TO TRY OR OLD TO IMPROVE? Now when I know what material I'm working with I need to pick some suitable techniques. Over the course of my education and personal development I've tried quite a few of different techniques and excelled in some of them. But there are still many more that I've only heard of or have recently discovered. So the main choice for me here — do I want to improve some of the skills I already have or develop a couple of new once?
T E C H N I Q U E S
LIVING HINGES This is a technique that basically allows to bend a sturdy material by making numerous cuts in a certain pattern thus giving it some flexibility. It is a bit boring and obvious for this project so I'll pass.
WOOD CARVING
This is something I adore as this technique brings beautiful pieces of art to life out of wooed bricks. But since it is mostly used for novelty objects (e.g. sculptures and toys) and also needs a ot of thickness it doesn't fit the brief in my eyes.
CNC Milling on CNC is something I've tried before but only with MDF (which is really soft) and only because I had to due to one of the projects. I want to learn to properly use it and try mill another materials aside from pressed paper.
DOVETAIL JOINTS
This is a beautiful woodworking technique that requires no glue (which is one of the brief's restraints) and provides very strong joints while also looking gorgeous. I want to try to learn it in the scope of this project.
LASER CUTTING This is something I became really good at over the last couple of years, I see a lot of potential and opportunities in it. But the only materials I've lasered before are plywood, some textiles and plastics. I want to see how well laser cutting works with various woods.
U N F L A T
CHOSE YOUR FIGHTER!
N A M E
NH A EL O F I T
DOVETAILS
LEATHER
WOOD
LIVING HINGES
WOOD CNC
CARVING
LASER
CNC DOVETAILS
LASER
So, to summarise — my chosen material is wood (I'll try to find several different ones that vary in hardness, grain and colour) and my chosen techniques are milling, laser cutting and dovetail joints. Off we go!
GLASS
METAL
C EH CO TI ICOE N S
U N F L A T
W O O D S
I didn't really know where to start with wood so I went to a small woodcarving shop and bought several different types of woods. I haven't thought of it much just chose one of each type (hardwood, semi-hardwood, dark, red, light and exotic). Unfortunately, they didn't have what is considered "flat" by the brief (thinner than 10mm) so I had to ask one of the technicians to put it through the circular saw to cut it to the needed thickness. Which put a width limit of 140 mm (two-sided cut) or 70mm (one cut which is preferred for even surface). So I took small pieces to start with.
N A M E
ASH My family-tree (the name of this wood in Russian and my surname are identical). I was drawn in with its gorgeous grain.
MAPLE Maple to me looks very noble and simple. The pattern is consistent and soft. The wood itself is pretty sturdy which I like.
ALDER Quite a plain-coloured wood; very dry texture, also very light. Nice warm colour, barely any pattern in grain on my piece.
O F
T H E
SWE O CO T IDOS N
BEACH Beach wood has very recognisable pattern of tiny dark strokes along the grain; it looks pretty cosy and warm.
IROKO
BUBINGA
This is one of the two exotic woods I've chosen. It feels very hollow so I have doubts about its compatibility with laser.
This is the other exotic wood, It's very hard and heavy. The colour is very rich; I think it'll look stunning combined with grey-ish ash.
U N F L A T
I D E A T I O N O F T H E P R O D U C T Now comes one of the hardest parts - to decide what products can I create with the materials and techniques I've chosen. I know one thing for sure - I want it to be usable and user-friendly, I don't want it to be a novelty object as in just a decoration. I do want it to be aesthetically pleasing, most likely minimalistic an simple. Wood automatically suggest either a bit rustic or cozy so probably some of that too. I also want it to be a combined product or a couple of products that can go both together and separately. And attention to details.
P R O D U C T
LAMPSHADE This is an obvious one but it seems pretty easy to me. Lampshades have more of an aesthetical purpose than functional and they also don't carry out any function on their own which is what I want for my outcome for this project.
PACKAGING
Packaging I think works great for this project as it almost always starts in flat material and then takes from in the process. What does wood + packaging mean for me? It evokes the feelings of luxury, elite and elegance. I think wooden package is exceptional.
PHONE CHARGING STATION I personally have a problem with organizing my cables, especially on my work desk so this is a problem I am very familiar with thus I can provide insight and details for this product. But! It loses its value when not used so that's something to think about.
SHELF
Shelf + wood - looks pretty obvious as well. Especially looking at the techniques I've chosen, but I think I can bring something interesting to it if I chose this product. But there's size limitation for this project so it might not be the best choice this time.
PENCIL CASE Pencil cases are a great product in terms of usability and it can be really aesthetically pleasing as well. There are several versions of wooden pencil cases on the web and most of them push the aesthetic feature of the wood.
DESK ORGANIZER
I love organizing stuff so I'd like to create a product that helps people to keep their desk nice and tidy with less effort. It's a nice stand-alone product but I think it can also be combined with something else and bring even more functionality to it.
U N F L A T
I D E A T I O N O F T H E I N T E R A C T I O N There's one more thing that I want to design during this project. I want to design an interaction between the user and the product that will create an experience and a personal value of that product to the user. I know of a couple ways to do that and I want to look at them and integrate one of them in my design to make not just a thing, but an object that is precious to its owner and is not like the others. So, what types of user-product customisation/interactions are there?
I N T E R A C T I O N
ASSEMBLE IT Assembling is basically creating - fitting together separate component parts of an object in most cases according to instructions. Ikea knows how good it works for people to bond with an object and feel a nice sense of accomplishment. It is a good way to create a personal value.
PAINT IT
Painting is one of the easiest ways of customization - anything can be painted. But it is not inclusive as not every potential user can paint and some people find it too complex. I would like to integrate something more inclusive in my product, something anybody can do without special training.
EMBROIDER IT Embroidery is an old and respected art most commonly associated with hand-made, home, grandparents and childhood. It is also in trend again recently and, for example, cross-stitching can be done by everyone as it is very easy, has simple guidelines and instructions.
SIGN IT
Signing something gives people a sense of ownership or separation of their possession from others' but I don't see this interaction as one that adds value to the object so I don't see it suitable for this project.
PROGRAMM IT Now, programming something to your own needs or preferences is a very nice way of customizing and personalizing an object, but it also requires some complex skills and the tech that can be programmed which `I'd like to avoid in this project.
U N F L A T
SO, WHAT ARE WE DOING?
N A M E
NH A EL O F I T
C EH CO TI ICOE N S
LAMPSHADE
ASSEMBLE IT
PACKAGING
PENCIL CASE
CHARGING DOCK
PAINT IT
EMBROIDERY SIGN IT
CHARGING DOCK
DESK ORGANIZER EMBROIDER IT
SHELF
PROGRAMM IT
DESK ORGANIZER
So, I am going to design and create a charging dock for phones that can be customized with embroidery. And it not only adds personal value to this product but also gives it another value - aesthetical one. This way when the phone is removed and the dock is not in use it still has value - it is now a mural with your own piece of art. My second complementary product is a desk organizer that can be used both with the dock and as a stand-alone product.
U N F L A T
E X P E R I M E N T _ 1 . D O V E T A I L J O I N T S A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery including furniture, cabinets. log buildings and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. I've decided to use them not only because they're strong, but also because of how beautiful they are when done right. And also because I want to have some woodworking skills in my skill set.
D O V E T A I L S
There are all different beautiful alterations of dovetail joints (impossible, Japanese, etc.) but that's next level so I decided to just go with basic dovetails as my first experience. The standard dovetail looks like shown on the right and consists of the tails (blue) and pins (white) and can be done either with hand tools or machinery..
I decided to try it both ways to have the full hands-on experience and figure out which one I like more in process rather than beforehand. I summoned one of the workshop technicians to teach me and then just kept trying on my own. The default angle for dovetails is 16° but can vary for different types and hardness of woods. I went with the default and started with plywood by the technician's advice not to mess up the wood trying. I started with hand tools and it was a mess. I didn't have the proper tools which was already a mistake and then I've probably messed up the procedure. So, my first try (on the right) came out — although quite strong and hard to pull apart — very ugly. But the sturdiness of it gave me hope that I can go glueless if I manage to produce it with machinery tools we have in the workshop.
My second try was even worse. The machines in the workshop — although suitable for this type of work — can't all be used by us and those that can have a protective casing which limits the height of a possible piece of wood. So basically they can't be used in a way that is needed to produce a dovetail. I've tried to do the pins on the band saw and tails by hand but the latter is harder to do so my second try was not only ugly but also weak,
U N F L A T
E X P E R I M E N T _ 2 . L A S E R C U T T I N G J O I N T S After the traditional way of making dovetails failed me I've decided to change my ways and try to approach it the other way. I've attempted to cut the dovetail joints on the laser and then switched the type of joints I'd be using to standard classic finger joints.
L A S E R
C U T T I N G
I've tried once more to make dovetail joints using laser and failed miserably. The pinboard was perfect (shown on the right) but there's no way to make the tailboard since the laser can't cut at an angle. Which I didn't think about before starting this experiment. So, like that, I totally gave up this idea and left it for another time when I'll have more than 3 weeks and mistakes won't cost me precious time.
So I changed it to finger joints instead. A finger joint, also known as a comb or box joint, is a woodworking joint made by cutting a set of complementary rectangular cuts in two pieces of wood, which are then glued, with filler. To visualise a finger joint simply interlock the fingers of your hands at a ninety-degree angle; hence the name "finger joint." They're way easier to produce than dovetails and can also be cut on the laser, which is exactly what I'm going to do.
My first attempt to cut finger joints was good although they were a bit wobbly, which is usually normal since the glue is supposed to be used, but the brief prohibits it so I had to find a way to make it sturdier. To overcome the lack of glue in my joinery I made a 0.1 mm offset to account for the laser thickness and it solved the problem, locking the joints firmly with no need for glue. In fact, I had to hammer them in and couldn't take them apart once they were set. Which is exactly what I need. So, like that, I had the joining method figured out (you can see it in the photo on the right).
J O I N T S
U N F L A T
E X P E R I M E N T _ 3 . L A S E R C U T T I N G W O O D A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery including furniture, cabinets. log buildings and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. I've decided to use them not only because they're strong, but also because of how beautiful they are when done right. And also because I want to have some woodworking skills in my skill set.
LNAASME ER OC FU TT THI EN GS EWC OT O I OD N
I started by finding the right settings for each wood, making a range of sample cuts with different numbers and choosing the best ones for each wood.
ALDER - 9/70 Alder was also a bit soft but not as much as Iroko so I could get it to be cut without burning. But I'm not a fan of its texture so I'll probably end up not using it.
IROKO - X iroko was a bit of a failure - it is really hollow and thus burns easily. So small holes are impossible. I'd say I won't use it this time.
MAPLE - 10/70 Maple is gorgeous and cuts really well. It seems to be less resinous than other woods I've chosen so the cut-out pieces go out really easily.
BUBINGA - 5/90 Bubinga was a nightmare to cut - it is really hard and also cracks at times when sawn. It is really beautiful but I doubt result's worth the hassle.
ASH - 9/70 Ash is also really nicely cut, although it's a bit sticky so the pieces don't come out as well as in maple. It's a pity it only comes in very narrow pieces.
U N F L A T
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 1 . 1 F I R S T D O C K - P L Y W O O D After figuring out the product I was going to create I moved on to prototyping it. I started with the main part - the charging station that can be customised with embroidery. Same as with the dovetails I didn't want to waste the precious wood so first prototypes were done in plywood.
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 1 . 1
I've found the right settings and then let the laser do its job. The finger joints came out perfect so I had no problem joining the body together (as I said previously - I had to use a hammer to lock them which allowed for no-glue joinery). The settings of the laser were right but some cut-outs from holes didn't want to drop out on their own so I had to remove them manually, which is a bit of a burden and is very inefficient.
U N F L A T
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 2 . 1 S E C O N D D O C K - P L Y W O O D My second attempt was much better in terms of efficiency and opportunity as well as aesthetics. I've more than doubled the amount of stitches that the template allows for - therefore broadening the choice of embroideries possible on such canvas and allowing for more creativity. In previous prototype I didn't hassle with aesthetics, finishing and such. Whereas this time I joined everything and sanded, making sure that all the residue and burns from the laser are gone and all the joints are flush. It looks way better now too,
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 2 . 1
I also understood from the previous prototype that I've gone too safe and both the holes and the distances between them can be bigger. The embroidery doesn't look good in big holes and it wastes a lot of space while not allowing for much creativity as it only provides holes for 17x28 embroidery. So I've remodelled it and sent it to the laser again. I've also tweaked the settings a bit hoping for easier removal.
Updates since the last version: holes are 1mm in diameter (previously 2mm) spacing is 1mm both directions (previously 2mm) 44x74 stitches available (previously 17x28) better fitting settings
U N F L A T
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 2 . 2 T H I R D D O C K - P L Y W O O D My third prototype is just a slightly updated version of the second prototype. I didn't drastically change many thing - my most significant change was the width of the surface on which the phone stands while the station is in use. I made some tests and discovered that in the previous version it was wide enough for the phone to stand when untouched but it was too narrow to be used comfortably - it was too unstable and started to fall back anytime there was some movement happening near it. It was not very user friendly so I had to improve that.
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 2 . 2
Aside from the changes concerning the width of the base I've also added the clipping part that holds the cord inside the casing, not allowing it to slip out and adjust the settings once more, this time achieving the perfect removal - all of the holes were emptied perfectly. So, the third prototype (prototype_A2.2) became the final model of my product before the actual outcome. Updates since the last version: cord fixator rounded edges for better tactile experience wider base for more stability better fitting settings - all cuts removed
U N F L A T
P R O T O T Y P E _ B 1 . 1 F I R S T O R G A N I S E R - M D F So, here comes the second part of prototyping for my final product - the desk organizer. I am going to mill it out of MDF first and if it will go well (AND IF I have time left to re-do it) then I'll mill it once again out of wood (that I still have to by if I decide to do it). I've spent about 2 hours preparing the file for the CNC as I forgot a lot of details since the last time I've done it. I had to mill the material (which was 16mm MDF) to be what is considered 'flat' by the brief - 10mm. So I made area clearance for it first and then set up my model for it to be done as my material is 10mm.
P R O T O T Y P E _ A 2 . 2
When my file was ready I was told by the program that the approximate milling time is 9 hours. Which meant it wasn't finished in one day and I had to reset it the next morning from where it stopped. And the Roland 650 CNCÂ can't do that so I had to calculate it manually and very precisely. And the next morning I've set everything, double checked it (by asking the technician to take a look) and sent it to the CNC. And it failed my finishing by SOMEHOW going wrong in both X and Y axes. So here's that. I had to start again.
U N F L A T
P R O T O T Y P E _ B 2 . 1 S E C O N D O R G A N I S E R -
M D F
I was just about to put the second identical piece of MDF into the CNC to mill the same file when I realized - I better treat it as my final model in case I won't have time to re-mill it once more. So I cut it down to the size of A4 (297mm x 210mm) and calculated the offsets that would be safe for the model to stay connected and for the mill to not hit the clamps. Apparently, 7 mm is enough. Then I repeated the same procedure as on the previous piece — 1. area clearance to the size; 2. roughing; 3. finishing. And sent the same file to be milled.
P R O T O T Y P E _ B 2 . 1
Although I had to restart the thing once again this time it worked - the desk organizer came out perfectly as was planned and all the parts fit precisely (the sticky notes, pencils and the charging dock). I decided to finish all necessities first and if I have time left I'd re-do it in wood (I bought some beach wood just for that. It has a beautiful pattern and really nice grain). In the meantime, I had to think of ways to finish the MDF in case I won't have time lift.
U N F L A T
F I N A L B . O R G A N I S E R I N B E A C H Luckily, I was faster with all the necessary other details to come back to the organizer and mill it in wood. I bought a beautiful 30cmx33cmx16mm piece of Beachwood and after cutting it down to the A4 size and milling it with area clearance to the 10mm thickness I let the CNC do its magic. I had to change the settings quite a bit as Beachwood is way harder and stronger than MDF so I had to be careful not to damage the CNC's components (they could be bent by too much resistance) and watch it closely the whole time. The result was more than worth it - just gorgeous.
F I N A L
B .
U N F L A T
F I N A L A B . O R G A N I S E R I N B E A C H + C H A R G I N G D O C K I N M A P L E When I finally had both of my details ready I was delighted to put them together - they fit perfectly and the grains and patterns of two woods (beach and maple) look very nice together. I applied wax to both components several times repeating the wax-wait-polish process and it gained that nice soft shine and finish that I like so much about the goods made of wood. The texture and colours came through and just looked perfect. I am very happy with how this worked out but I still need to add some minor details that will enhance user experience while interacting with the product.
F I N A L
A B .
U N F L A T
A C C E ST SHOE R IK EI S T
I've made two accessories for this product that come together with it and work as a kit — you get everything needed to finalize and customize the product to your own liking. I am going to talk about them a bit further. The kit is also supposed to include embroidery instructions on a postcard and a link to said instructions on a website for more comfortable viewing.
U N F L A T
A C C E S S O R I E S . T H R E A D H O L D E R S The first accessory is a set of thread holders with the threads and a 5'th size needle (suitable for this set's hole size) included which allows the user to start interacting with the product right away without the need to look for suitable threads and needles. It can also be kept after the embroidery on the dock is finished and re-used for storing user's own threads. This gives the product a nice soft caring touch that makes the user feel thought of as well as the interaction more desirable. It is made of the same maple as the dock itself so it keeps the feeling of one whole rather than many different parts.
T H R E A D
H O L D E R S
U N F L A T
A C C E S S O R I E S . C U S T O M I Z A B L E K E Y C H A I N S The other accessory is a set of three customizable key-chains which come together with the fastenings and the user can themselves choose which colour of the thread they want to use after embroidering them. They have the same diameters and distances as the main dock but the sizing is different — each key-chain allows for a small embroidery 11 by 11 stitches. This a nice small addition for the user to share with their friends or attach to their belongings. It's not just a cute novelty object but can also serve as a field to practice before making a big embroidery on the main dock.
K E Y C H A I N S
U N F L A T
The kit comes with an instruction of buyer's choice and all threads needed for that particular pattern. The user can follow the instructions provided or take any other instructions from the web or even make their own — the layout allows for absolute freedom aside from the size limitation. The process itself is very relaxing and even meditative. Aside from personalization, it also gives the user a sense of accomplishment and ownership which is always nice.
E M B R O I D E R Y
Embroidering a doted piece of wood is much easier (especially for beginners) as it always stays 'tightened' and doesn't bend. It also can only be pierced through the cutout slots — unlike fabric — which allows for easier accuracy.
U N F L A T
To avoid wobbling on uneven surfaces and sliding on the sleek ones I've added resin half-spheres to the corners of both the dock and the organizer. It minimizes the surface touching the table, therefore, making it more stable and the resin also catches onto the surface preventing the product from sliding.
D E T A I L S
It might seem that this will mess up the levelling of the dock in comparison to the organizer but since the circles are identical both parts are lifted evenly so this problem does not appear.
U N F L A T
The desk organizer — although can be seen as a separate product — plays a very important role in this combination. Since the surface of the dock is relatively small and the whole wooden casing is much lighter than an average phone, the dock might be unstable when used in a rush. And the organizer encloses the base of the dock and holds it inside itself thus expanding the surface the dock relies on and gives it additional stability.
D E T A I L S
I've had a problem in first prototypes where the cable would be pulled out of the casing and had to be reinstalled again. It was solved by adding a cable fixator in the back that snaps in place and keeps the cord from being pulled out. It also allows for a change of cables as it is removable.
U N F L A T
F I N A L
T H O U G H T S
This is the final model fully equipped and functioning. I am quite happy with the outcome I was able to produce in such a short period of time and the amount of details I was able to add. I do, however, see several possible improvements for the 'market future' of this product: all parts of the set come in different woods and also lined with leather for the additional price the organizer comes in the left- and righthanded version as it is more comfortable to access the pens department with the working hand. the organizer and the dock can be purchased separately from each other or in a discounted bundle the embroidery on the dock is not permanent: the dotted layout can be removed the same way the cable fixator can and replaced with another one or left empty. The replacement dotted parts can be purchased in a bundle with a variety of embroidery instructions and needed threads so the user can have a collection of several murals and change them to their wish or put them on a shelf as a decoration
L A B B O O K Â B Y
2 0 1 8
F I