PS70: Intro to Digital Fabrication

<div class="textcontainer"> <h3>Week 8: CNC Milling</h3> <h4>Assignment: Make Something With CNC + Vacuum Forming</h4> Documentation: <pre class="margin"> This week we were responsible for making something with the CNC machine and then use some sort of forming method. I decided to use the shop bot which, while noisy, was very fun to use to get a really precise form of something by cutting in the opposite way that a 3D printer constructs something from nothing. This was really fun for me to watch, because I am a big fan of finding the object inside of another object as per my woodworking experience, so the CNC was like woodworking but way faster and very precise. I decided to make a KU, University of Kansas, logo, since that is a place that I grew up with lots of exposure to. The school is also my favorite college basketball team, so it was an easy choice. I first found the file and converted it to an SVG so that the software could process it. </pre> KU CNC FILE <img src="./KU CNC File.png" alt="KU CNC File" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> SIMULATED RESULT <img src="./Simulated Result.png" alt="Simulated Result" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> CNC MACHINE PREP <img src="./CNC Machine Prep.png" alt="CNC Machine Prep" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> AIR CUT PREPARATION <video src="./Air Cut Preparation.MOV" controls style="max-width: 100%;"></video> KU CUTTING <img src="./KU Cutting.png" alt="KU Cutting" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> Documentation: <pre class="margin"> Once it was loaded into the software, I was able to see the simulation of it to make sure that it would cut properly. This was of course after the spindle was tested for distance away from the surface to be cut, the depth of the cut was recorded, and the piece of MDF was properly loaded into the machine to ensure a clean and stable cut. Tabs were also added to the file so that it would be secure as the very fast and very powerful spindle would disrupt it and throw it around potentially if not locked in. </pre> VACUUM MOLDING <img src="./Vacuum Molding.png" alt="Vacuum Molding" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> MOLD RESULT <img src="./Mold Result.png" alt="Mold Result" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"> Documentation: <pre class="margin"> The final stage of this week was to mold the CNC form or mold something. I decided to just vacuum form the KU logo that I had previously CNCed. This was super cool to me because I have always seen those videos of things like luggage shells being made through plastic vacuum forming, and so it was cool for me to be able to do it on a smaller scale, but with something that I decided to mold. Though the vacuum molding machine was a bit finicky to use, I eventually was able to produce a really clean mold of the KU logo and once I peeled it out it was really remarkable to me how clean it ended up being. The form came off very easily and now I have an awesome little desk KU logo, but also a form in case I ever want to make any kind of cast. Using the form to make ice cubes would have been really cool, but I was concerned about the fact that neither the remaining MDF dust nor the plastic itself is food safe. Nevertheless, a cool week to create some unique objects. </pre> </div>