WEEK 7

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WEEK ·7·

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

1. make something big

1. LEARNING HOW TO USE THE SHOPBOT

Choose the material and measure the thickness of it. Then place it on the platform in the shopbot

Depending on the type of work to be performed, the drill bits can be selected as up cut or down cut type

If the shopbot has a drill bit that we do not want to use, we must change it using the correct tools.

And choose the correct accessories according to the diameter of the drill bit.

Then in the computer we will place the settings using the vcarve program first and then the shopbot program

To turn on the shopbot we turn the red key 90º and the ¼ turn the silver key

Press the red button to finally turn on the shopbot. Once the files are loaded press the green button to start spinning the drill bit.

We have to calibrate first on the Z-axis. For this we use the metal bar and crocodile key that come in the machine.

To calibrate the X-Y axis you just have to click the option on the shopbot program. The option for this is right next to the option to calibrate the Z-axis.

It is advisable to make small perforations to place bolts so that the mdf doesn’t move.

To use the shopbot it is necessary to turn on the extractor..

To remove the pieces we use the chisel as tabs are placed to allow the small pieces not to be suctioned by the extractor.

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2. MAKING PRESS FIT TESTS

We did press fit group tests to know the tolerances in mdf and triplay. First we calibrate the machine.

We started the tests with 12mm mdf. It is important to use safety implements as ears protector and not leave the shopbot unattended.

The small parts had no tabs and were suctioned by the extractor

This is the 12mm mdf test. The ideal tolerance is 0.50mm

The next material we tested was triplay. The triplay board is more irregular and brings natural knots. It is advisable to fix the board with screws and re-calibrate the machine.

This material is more complicated to work than the mdf as it ends up splintering

We completed the test and the tolerance for this material is 0.75mm although for being so irregular I suggest to use 1mm of tolerance. The press fit works well.

We remove the pieces with the chisel very carefully because the splinters jumps on all sides.

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3. SETTING UP THE SHOPBOT

Once I had the design idea clear I drew it in AutoCad.

The first program used is vcarve. Here we load the project file and first configure the size of the board, create the fillets.

Then we save the steps to do one by one and open the shopbot program to send the instructions to the machine.

The shopbot is a machine that places reminders.

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4. MAKING SOMETHING BIG!

I decided to use the 12mm mdf for my work. I calibrated the Z axis to the middle of the plate.

I made holes using the shopbot and then put the screws.

I use the tabs because my design had thin parts and didn’t want the pieces to move and make some mistake in the cut.

The total cutting time was 30 minutes. The set up time was almost 45 minutes.

That's the way the board is left when you finished cutting.

These were the tools I use to secure and fix the board and remove the parts.

The mdf is a fairly easy material to clean with a rag but I preferred to sand the edges a bit to get a better presentation of the object.

Sand all parts on both sides and edges

With the help of a rubber mallet I assembled all the parts easily.

This shows the armed structure

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5. FINAL RESULT

I put the remaining accessories and the lamp finally worked.

Camilo likes it too!

The cable passes through the center of the lamp. The lower parts have a slot of the width of the drill bit to put the cable.

In the shopbot program I had to place the recesses in the corner angles, I did it in such a way that when assembling the parts they make a circle.

Final view of the center of the lamp

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DOWNLOAD FILES