: March 2009



Mar 27, 2009

New Process

By this point we are still sanding our wood models to make them perfect for the thermoforming process. In the meantime we are now learning a new rapid prototyping process (the coolest for me) called 3D Printing. This process is done by a device similar to a washing machine in dimensions, that works with a special dust and a resin to compose physical models from a 3D file.

Like previous processes we had studied before, this one requires a 3D Model generated by any 3D/CAD software. Then we validate it with another software to be sure the model is correct and to realize how much material is required and avoid the waste of it. When we hit the print button, this machine starts applying layers of resin to the dust in order to build the volume. The machine is a 3D Printer from the ZCorporation Company.
The main purpose of this prototyping technique is to make complex physical models that usually would take us much money and time to do.

This was just a brief explanation of 3D Printing, but I will emphasize deeper in this topic when we start using this process.

posted by Ricardo @ 5:53 PM 0 comments

Mar 22, 2009

Prototypes Ready!

Finally the Roland 650 gave us our cars milled and ready to sand. Unfortunately we weren't able to program the CNC machine for the finishing process due to other people wanting to use the machine. This finishing process would make the surface of the wood smoother so we wouldn't have to sand that much, but the Roland did a pretty good job, so it's okay.

Here are some pictures of them:

With the big wood block holding our 4 prototype cars, we should cut out each of them and start sanding. Once we get the surface we want, the car is ready to be thermoformed using PET (polyethylene). This transparent plastic will join to the wood through a process of heat and pressured air. Having the cars made of plastic will allow us to paint them in an easier way.

posted by Ricardo @ 11:24 PM 0 comments

Mar 10, 2009

Getting ready to mill

The process of setting a file for milling includes what I had described in previous posts plus the use of Modela Player 4, a software that communicates directly with the Roland 650, a CNC machine capable of milling wood, plastic and soft metals.

So here is the procedure from the very beginning:

Whenever the 3D model is ready, we export it as STL file by selecting the items to convert and creating a mesh. STL is the language that VisCAM View and Modela Player 4 understand.

Once we have an STL file, VisCAM View helps us validating it to be sure the model is ready for CNC.

Now we can load the file with Modela Player 4 and program it for milling.

We set the orientation of the model and the coordinates in X,Y and Z.

We set the total depth of the model so the machine gets a better reference of dimensions.

Then the surface characteristics are established.

When the machine knows how to do the rough mill, we should establish the finishing mill, that will give us a more accurate surface so the sanding process will be easier.

It is important to highlight that this milling is going to be done over MDF soft wood, and the models obtained will work as negative molds to be thermoformed using specific plastics, either PET or polystyrene.

posted by Ricardo @ 10:06 AM 0 comments

Mar 4, 2009

Car Redesign

Now we that we have the basic shape of the car as a 3D model, we can start making modifications to it from the sketches we previously did. So here is the original object, a Camaro 1967 toy car:

Instead of modifying the lines I retraced from the original scanned file, I decided to just keep the important ones, like the base which gives us the length of the car, and the side outline that gives us the height. From these basic measures I created 3 new shapes for the body of the car, which I rendered and then validated them using VisCAM View:

First Approach

Second Approach

Third Approach

Having these three proposals allows to choose between them and get one selected to be milled using the Roland 650, a CNC machine I will write about in a further post.

posted by Ricardo @ 9:25 AM 0 comments

About Me

Name: Ricardo
Home: Querétaro, Mexico
About Me:
See my complete profile