Digital Object Making
Jake Aaron Cohen
Introduction This is a class focused on an introduction to digital fabrication using third party resources. This class gives me the opportunity to design and produce: a set of coasters, a wooden container, a 3D printed sculpture and an Arduino robot.
Synopsis Using the facilities at both University of the Arts and NextFab, this class offers me a hands on experience with state of the art digital tools that pertain to 3D design and sculptural objects. Within the class, I will learn 3D
modeling software such as Rhinoceros, and realise those digital creations in material form through the use of digital processes such as CNC routing, CNC milling, laser cutting, digital printing and 3D scanning.
University of the Arts Fall Semester 2015
Digital Object Making At Nextfab Multiple small projects
Coasters
01 - 04
Container
05 - 10
3D Printing
11 - 14
Arduino Robot
15 - 18
Reflection
20
NextFab is a collaborative workspace with digital and traditional fabrication tools, classes, events, and consulting services.
01 | Web Design Studio | Jake Cohen
Coasters The project asked us to design a set of coasters using laser cutting. For my idea, I wanted to create a set of overlaying coasters for the 3 places close to me: Bolton, Glasgow and Philadelphia.
01 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
Glasgow
Philadelphia
Bolton
Final Outcome My final outcome is a set of six coasters which can be combined to produce three coasters that overlay. Three of the coasters are sections of maps of Bolton, Glasgow and Philadelphia, made from mirror acrylic with engraved roads. The other three coasters are word associations for these three places which overlay each map.
03 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
I chose mirrored acrylic and transparent acrylic to overlay as my testing proved the contrast to be subtle yet appealing. One specific factor about this design I like is how the design of the coasters responds to the background it is placed on, being more apparent on darker surfaces and more subtle and lighter surfaces.
Container For this project, we are asked to use the ShopBot CNC milling machine to create a wooden container that is designed for a specific object. My chosen object is the Fuji Neo 90 Instax camera.
05 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
Camera
Idea Proposal For my container, I would like to replicate the literal form of the Fuji Neo 90 camera
3.7in
using walnut wood. On the base of the container will be a section to display the instant photos produced by the camera. 4.5in
Lid
Base
acrylic window to display photos
container lid
lip extraction camera
lip extrusion
container base
Creating toolpaths Using my Rhino file, I then constructed toolpaths using VCarve Pro ready to cut my box using the ShopBot machine.
CNC milling The lid and base were cut separately, with the bits for the ShopBot being changed when appropriate. Total cutting time exceeded 3 hours.
Applying a finish The last step was to finish the container. This involved sanding and applying an oil. I chose Danish oil to darken the walnut and to bring out the wood grains.
The final step was to add an acrylic window to the open section on the base, allowing the instant photos to be displayed.
Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 08
Final Outcome I am really pleased with my final outcome for this project. Although the cutting of the container on the ShopBot took a long time, the results came out really accurate. I decided to choose walnut wood to contrast with the brown of the camera, which worked particularity well once the wood had been
09 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
oiled. The dimensions for the container fit the camera and photos perfectly, and the size of the container as a whole makes it a fun novelty. Originally, I had planned to use hinges to secure the lid to the base, but once reaching the final stages, I felt the edge lip was enough to secure the container, and hinges might detract from the aesthetics.
3D Printing For this project, we were asked to design an object in Rhino and then 3D print it through Shapeways. I wanted to test the possibilities of 3D printing with the use of complex structures.
11 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
Inspiration Using my Rhino file, I then constructed toolpaths using VCarve Pro ready to cut my box using the ShopBot machine.
CNC milling The lid and base were cut seperately, with the bits for the ShopBot being changed when appropriate. Total cutting time exceeded 3 hours.
Applying a finish The last step was to finish the container. This involved sanding and appling an oil. I chose Danish oil to darken the walnut and to bring out the wood grains.
To begin thinking about what I wanted to design, I began producing thumbnail sketches, playing between a mix of organic and geometric.
Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 12
Final Outcome My final outcome for this project is based on organic structures which are assembled geometrically. To achieve this design, I created a single torus form and arrayed it in multiple directions in a full circle. With the design complete in Rhino, I then printed it in strong and flexible white polished plastic. I chose to keep the design white so that the complex
13 | Digital Object Making | Jake Cohen
structure of the form is more identifiable rather than confusing. Overall, as my first 3D printed object with my initial knowledge with Rhino, I am very pleased with the outcome and have become more confident in using 3D printing to facilitate my design ideas and processes.
Arduino Robot This was a self-initiated project asking us to use the facilities at NextFab to create anything we desire. I wanted to make use of the electronics department in order to gain more of an understanding of Arduino prototyping by building an object avoiding robot.
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BREADBOARD
Object
ultrasonic sensor
360 TURN CIRCLE REAR WHEEL
motors motor shield
ARDUINO
IF DISTANCE IS 20CM OR GREATER, MOVE FORWARD IF DISTANCE IS 19CM OR LESS, TURN 90 LEFT AND THEN MOVE FORWARD
Final Outcome My final outcome for this project is an arduino robot which senses objects and avoids them by altering the motor direction. Using Arduino, I was able to code the robot to turn when the distance between it and an object was less than 20cm. The body of the vehicle was created by laser cutting acrylic at NextFab. I was also able to receive help from
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the team in the electronics department at Nextfab with Arduino prototyping. Starting with a basic understanding of Arduino, completing this fun small project has made me more confident using it as a prototyping technique, and seeing the robot working is very rewarding.
Class blog www.uartsatnextfab.tumblr.com As a part of the class, we each had to contribute to the official University of the Arts at NextFab blog by posting our inspiration, ideas and projects.
Reflection
This class have been very fun and rewarding, and I am really pleased with all of my outcomes from the small projects within the class. Perhaps the most important aspect of the course, to me, was learning Rhino. Even though I started with very little understanding of the software, I was able to finish this class feeling very confident in my skills using it as a CAD software. I am now able to look at real life objects and understand how I can build it using Rhino. I think this will be a great asset for future projects which could benefit from the use of 3D CAD renderings. In terms of the fabrication tools, I had no understanding of CNC milling and 3D printing, and this class has taught me a great amount about how to approach
these and their uses and limitations. I am particularity impressed that I hadn’t know about CNC milling until now, and that I am now able to use the ShopBot on my own. Albeit a long process of learning, I am glad I had the opportunity to use CNC milling as I now have a bank of knowledge which I can use for future projects. The same goes for 3D printing, which is something that is simpler and more efficient than I originally thought with the discovery of Shapeways. Even though I had a great understanding of laser cutting, it was fun to design and produce coasters using mirrored acrylic, something I hadn’t used before. Using engraving on this material also meant I was able to achieve outcomes I didn’t know were possible before the class. Jake Cohen | People & Mechanics | 20
Jake Aaron Cohen
Industrial Design
University of the Arts