Tool Kit

For this activity my partner was Julia Wainwright.

Joining pieces using the the thermal press proved to create a very strong bond, a benefit. The drawback of this same benefit was that the heat stake is a permanent bond between two pieces, if one was to change their mind about a project they would need to start with new pieces. Creating a heat stake seems one of the fastest ways to make a bond. This is a perfect joining method if one’s intention is to cause it to be unable to be disassembled.

Using the pegs and slots seemed a fairly secure way to join parts, however to make the pieces as tight as could be without making them too tight to fit gives a very small margin for error. It can be a positive attribute that the pegs and slots can be taken apart and put together again easily. However, one is then sacrificing the strength that permanency would offer. This could be a good method for something undergoing lots of stress, if one piece were to break only that would need to be replaced.

Joining using the piano wire is ideal for pieces that require mobility. This would not work as well to create a piece meant to keep one shape. This method does seem to take the longest amount of time which could be a drawback.

Tight bushings would work best for something intended to be very solid and not meant to be taken apart easily, only offering the possibility of disassembly if needed. Looser bushings could work well for a faster way to create a prototype, or for something such as a 3D puzzle meant to be easy to both put together and take apart.

When comparing the solid works projected measurements and the reality of the actual part differed slightly, certainly enough to make a large difference when trying to create a specific fit. Solid works and the real measurements tended to differ by about .01 inches. This suggests that one should plan to account for an extra .005 to be cut off of their piece by the laser cutter. 2(.005) would be .001 which would account for the additional gap the real life model had.