Attendance
Making Stuff Move: The Ecosystem
A lot of this is borrowed from my friend Dominic Muren's dorkbot talk on the Digifab Ecosystem
Creation
This is the step where your concept moves from inside your head to the real world
Analog:
- Napkin sketches or equivalent:
- Legos, foamcore, wood, junk - 3D sketching
Digital:
- 2D: Open Source: Inkscape, QCAD
- 2D: Proprietary: Illustrator, Autocad LT, Eagle CAD, etc.
- 3D: Mesh: Open Source: Blender, Wings3d, Art of Illusion
- 3D: Mesh: Proprietary: Rhino3d, 3DS Max, Maya, etc.
- 3D: Solid: Open: BRL CAD, HeeksCAD
- 3D: Solid: Proprietary: Alibre Design, Solidworks, Proengineer, Solidedge
- 3D: Math: Open: OpenSCAD, TopMod, Sage
Translation
This is the step that takes your model or sketch and turns it into something make-able
Analog:
- Tracing
- Scaling
- Materials selection
Digital:
- Cleanup: Open: Meshlab, Blender
- Unfolding: Open: Sketchup Unfolder
- Unfolding: Proprietary: Lamina Design, Rhino3d
- Toolpath Generation: Open: Skeinforge, Pleasant 3D, Sketchup Slicemodeler
Fabrication
This is the part where you (or a machine) make the parts!
Analog:
- ITP shop
- Local shared spaces and machine shops
Digital:
- 2D: Patterning: Ink: Laser Printer, Inkjet Printer
- 2D: Patterning: Other: CNC Embroidery, Hektor paintbot
- 2D: Integrating: compu-knitting machine, CNC wire bender
- 2D: Cutting: Knife: Vinyl cutter, Craftrobo
- 2D: Cutting: Router: Open PCB cutter, Shopbot, etc.
- 2D: Cutting: Laser: open laser engraver, cutting laser, metal cutting laser
- 3D: Carving: Blade: CNC router, CNC mill
- 3D: Carving: Hot Wire: CNC foam cutter
- 3D: Layer addition: Sheet: CNC router, CNC mill
- 3D: Layer Addition: Extrusion: Reprap, Makerbot, Stratasys
- 3D: Powder Prints: Ink Binder: Z Corp, etc.
- 3D: Powder Prints: Sintered Binder: Ceramic, Glass, Metal "prints"
- 3D: Powder Prints: Heat Beam: Selective laser sintering, Candyfab
- 3D: Light Cure: Stereolithography, Objet printer
- 3D: Self Assembly: Pipette Robot, DNA origami
Integration
This is the part where you put it all together
If you used a 3D solid modeling program in the creation step above that was capable of assemblies, not just parts, you're one step ahead (Alibre, Solidworks, etc.). This is where all the off the shelf motors, nuts & bolts come in to create a moving thing out of your pile of parts.
Analog:
- Screwdrivers, hammers, allen wrenches, etc.
- Handy to have sandpaper and/or a Dremel tool around when things don't quite fit
- Shims are good to have when you need to make something bigger or tighter
Digital:
- While you can simulate an assembly digitally through 3D modeling software, the only digital way to assemble real world parts is with a robot. Since we don't have thousands of dollars for assembly line robots and pick and place machines, this means we're usually stuck with analog assembly.
Proliferation
This is the part where you share what you've done. Show it, teach it, get feedback, make it better, then start on the next iteration - or inspire someone else to!
Analog:
- Festivals, fairs, local events, hacker spaces
- ITP Show!
- Maker Faire - NYC in September
- Solar One - community events featuring local artists
- Galleries, etc. - curate your own show!
Digital:
- Swap Meets: Thingiverse.com, 3dContentCentral.com
- Fabbers: Ponoko.com, 100K Garages, Shapeways.com, i.materialise.com
- Hacktories: Check out Hackerspaces.org for those near you (NYC Resistor and Alpha One Labs are local to NYC)
Fluids
- Fluids can be liquids OR gases, they take the shape of the container they're in
- Because of this, fluids exert pressure in all directions P=F/A (hydrostatic pressure)
- Pressure depends on the depth and weight of the fluid
- Pressure - depth x density
- Viscosity=stress/strain rate
- LOW=water, MEDIUM=syrup, HIGH=silly putty
- Newtonian Fluid - flows like water (linear viscosity)
- Non-Newtonian - viscosity changes, see walking on "water"
Hydraulics vs. Pneumatics
- Hydraulics - fluid driven (not compressible)
- Normally operated at high pressures (~1000psi)
- Backhoes and industrial machinery
- Heavy lifting jacks
- Pneumatics - gas driven (air IS compressible)
- Pneumatics normally used at lower pressures (~100psi)
- Dentistry
- Used where electric motors dangerous (underground mines)
- Pneumatic drills, jackhammers - just need a compressor
- Used extensively by Amorphic Robot Works
- Cheap options:
- Air brush kits
- Bike tire pumps
- Car tire pumps
- Portable table top compressors
- Both: used in gas springs on screen doors and car trunks
Review blog posts for each group/individual
