1. Design development

Different design versions and final scheme:

  • CNC version(abandoned because we still have no access to use the machine)
  • 3D pringting version(abandoned because it costs too much time to produce)
  • laser cutting version(the final scheme)

 I abandoned the ShopBot scheme, the key point is how to maching double side. And before July we still have no access to use the big machine because the lab is not open for us. So I don’t have enough time to test and fabricate its feasibility.
 And I also said goodbye to 3D print because this way can’t ensure the production quantity(because there should be a lot of module to be made in the future).
 So the final scheme is to choose lasecut, the point is how is thickness of the material and each layer’s shape.

Details of design:

 My design is to make a lot of hexagon modules that can be easily saperated and recombined. And one more thing, although they are independent, but they can still communicate to eachother when they contact eachother. So the magnets is the best way to be choosen. It can satisfy not only the physical connection, but also the electrical connection.

 Altough the magnets can hold the horizontal force but the table will also get the vertical force , so a another structure will be necessary.
So I need to design a structure to make the whole overall structure stronger when they are combined together.

The outcome:

These notches are placed for PCBs and battery. Otherwise there won’t be enough space for the cables when they are connection to the pinheaders.

The next step is to separate the body layer by layer according to the ploywood’s thickness which is 5mm. Because the magnets should be fixed between two layers, and its size is 15mm*5mm.

And the Neopixels’ width is 10mm, just exactly equal to the thickness of two layers of plywood.

The layers shoule be like this:

Prepare the files for fabricate:

The next step is to export all the layers into DXF for lasercutting machine:

Layers for arylic(5mm):

Layers for plywood(5mm):

The final step is to think about the connector between modules. I won’t just use magnets and the rotate structure to ensure the intensity of the whole structure. And the legs of the table should be easy to assemble.

Also I plan to make shorter legs for just one module to use so it will become a small seat.

For this part, I desice to use the ShopBot to mill the legs not the lasercutter, because that is the easy way to make thing bigger.

Gallary:

Dinner table:

Side table:

Here is the 3D preview of my final project to show a dinner table shaped one with 8 modules. I wont’t make that many modules because it will cost too much time on fabrication. Acturally I will only make 3 modules as the design. And I will use the shopbot one according to week08(computer controlled machining)which is combined together which can’t be saperated to show the whole function(including electronic and program) of my design.

Files:

Arylic layers
Plywood layers

License:

Creative Commons License
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