Physical design¶
My “Geacube” is a six-sided cube that has a seven-segment display, 2 buttons, a buzzer, and an ir receiver built into it. And every time you roll, the result should be displayed and should be some sound. The roll is meant by pressing the buttons. I decided to use a laser cutting machine to create the physical design of my product.
Concept¶
The cube can be used by anyone. If the user presses the first green button on the right, the numbers from 1 to 6 should be displayed. When the user presses the second green button on the left, the numbers from 0 to 9 should be displayed. As an additional input I added ir remote and ir receiver. If the button on the ir remote is pressed, the number is also displayed. Every time a number appears, the cube should make a sound. My goal was to have the 7 segment display show a number whenever the user presses a button.To make the cube work, you need to connect two USB C cables to the Wemos D1 mini and Arduino uno. I decided to use both because I didn’t have enough pins on the Wemos D1 mini. For better cable management I will be using a USB hub.
To create SMART requirements for Geacube, we need to define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound criteria for the product.
Specific: the Geacube is a six-sided cube created by a laser cutting machine. To specify the requirements, we can define the dimensions, materials and functionality of the cube. The dimensions of my cube are 19 x 19 x 19 cm. The dimensions of the buttons are 1,3 cm x 1,3 cm. The dimensions for my display are 13.40 mm x 20.04 mm. The kerf is -0,050 mm. My Geacube still contains one cut-out with the same dimensions as the 7-segment display, which is used for cables and receiver. I use MDF 4 mm. This material refers to a type of engineered wood product made from wood fibers and resin, with a thickness of 4 millimeters. MDF material is known for its durability, stability, and ease of use. It is also easy to paint, cut, and shape, making it a popular choice for a wide range of woodworking projects. MDF stands for Medium Density Fiberboard, which is a popular building material used in a variety of applications, such as furniture, cabinetry, and decorative molding. Measurable: The requirements should be measurable so that we can monitor and verify their fulfillment. In the case of the Geacube, we could measure the dimensions of the cube that I mentioned above. Achievable: My requirements must be achievable with available technology and resources. In my case of the “Geacube” cube, I ensured that the laser cutting machine was able to produce a six-sided cube with the specified dimensions. Relevant: The Geacube must be strong enough to securely hold small objects and be easy to insert and remove from the open side. Time constrained: For Geacube, this time frame could be the time it takes to create a cube using a laser cutting machine, which was 4 hours.
This is what the PRO 1600 laser cutting machine looks like:
The manufacturing settings that are used are pictured here:
This is what my visualization looks like:
Digital manufacturing materials and methods¶
The selected machine is a PRO 1600 laser cutting machine from BRM Lasers. The cutting area of the PRO 1600 is 1600mm x 1000mm, providing ample space for cutting large sheets of materials. The machine can cut at speeds of up to 1200mm/s, allowing for fast and efficient cutting. The PRO 1600 is designed to cut materials other than MDF (4 mm) material, for example: acrylic, leather and so on. My material is: MDF 4 mm. The way I have chosen to go, by which I mean working with a laser cutter, is the easiest of the options from my point of view and also because, unfortunately, I didn’t have time to work with the 3D printer anymore. I think it was the easiest way, first of all, because of the time required. If the designer has the right model, working with a laser cutter can be done in 10 minutes. While a product produced in a 3D printer can takes around 20 hours. ManufacturingFile
This is what I wanted my cube to look like:
And this is what it really looks like:
Design¶
I created a model of the cube in https://www.makercase.com/. It’s a simple six-sided cube. And then I imported my file of the model of my six-sided cube into the program https://lightburnsoftware.com/. I used LightBurn because of the teacher’s recommendation. I wanted to use more: https://inkscape.org/. But in the end, I didn’t use this program. I could just use Makercase. Here I attach my file: DesignFileImportedIntoTheLaserCutter DesignFile
Here you can see my sketches.⬇️
Prototype¶
I tested after the first unsuccessful cutting of my cube, which unfortunately did not fit. So I had to change the model a total of three times.
Create¶
Firstly, I measured my embedded device and then used the dimensions to design the models in the software. Then I picked up the material and started getting familiar with the laser cutting machine. I imported my file of the model of my six-sided cube into the program https://lightburnsoftware.com/. Then, I pointed the laser “pencil” at the edge of the material to save as much space as possible during production. And lastly, I pressed the button to turn on the laser cutting. I waited less than 15 minutes and then assembled my dice. I waited less than 15 minutes for the machine to complete its task. If, as I mention below, I had tested my file, I might have been able to put the cube together on the first try. All the sides fit together perfectly.
Conclusion¶
I enjoyed the physical design part of it, but at the same time I was very stressed if I would actually get it right. Fortunately, I could turn to the teacher when I was unsure. I donated the unused material back to Makers Lab. My opinion is that I have complied with all my requirements.
And this is what it looks like in real life:
Future recommendations¶
I would size down my product next time. I would use an Inter-Integrated Circuit that would communicate with Wemos D1 mini and then I wouldn’t have to use an Arduino Uno, which would then not have to have such a large breadboard that made the Geacube this huge.
Failures¶
Failure
Unfortunately I didn’t do the test at the beginning and I thought I knew exactly what I was doing and would be able to make the cube on the first try, but that was not the case at all. So next time I know I have to test it on a small piece first. Because if I had started testing right at the beginning, I would have saved money on MDF (4mm) material and I wouldn’t have wasted it.
Below you see a badly cut design.⬇️
Failure
I forgot to buy 1 large MDF (4mm) material. I bought a smaller one and therefore had to buy the material again unnecessarily. Because my whole cube didn’t fit on a small piece of MDF. And because I didn’t realize I had to measure the whole cube for that certain material.
Failure
I wasn’t thinking about the kerf material. This is the main reason why the cube failed the first time and I had to test it for a long time. At the beginning I had an MDF kerf cut with -0,025 mm. But after testing, I came up with the correct kerf dimension of -0.050 mm.
Failure
I set the border of the cube wrong, so it didn’t fit together, so it would hold without glue.
