Prototype and Test
Prototyping is where the plan comes together. The research and design all seem to pay off when the final product is created and ready to be tested to find out just how good the solution is.
We were pleased with the 3:1 models we were able to obtain thanks to Acme, yet we were interested in seeing how close we could get to creating a final product. While the 3-D printer at Acme was unable to create our design, I knew that there were printers out there that are more than capable or modeling a design as small as ours. These printers are known as SLA printers and I knew there was one at the University of Indianapolis, not too far from Brownsburg. I came into contact with Dr. Surunga Dharmarathne who gave us access to the workshop at the University.
|
With the help or Mr. James Emery we were able to have our designs 3-D printed at a 1:1 scale. From these models we were able to discover that the thread measurements we had made were spot on. The female pieces screwed into place with a small flathead flawlessly. Unfortunately, the fastening between the male and female pieces were not as flawless. The O-Rings we had to fit the snap fastening male pieces were to fat to fit into their female counterparts. As for the Lego inspired design, the smaller scale meant that the already brittle plastic was only made weaker. The prongs of the male piece snapped under even the slightest of pressure. We knew that we would need a different size of O-Ring for the snap fastening design and simply to have the right material for the Lego inspired.
|
|
|
We looked to outsource our prototyping to a freelance company which has the capabilities to CNC machine or inject mold which we didn't. We sent our CAD models to ProtoLabs and ICOMolding.
After a few days these companies returned to us with their quotes. Noah and I were astonished by the price to create simply one part. We had no idea just how expensive these processes could be. The total cost for all the parts we wanted surpassed $10,000. A cost Noah and I were in no position to afford. Without working prototypes our project was stuck in the water. We were unable to perform testing or anything of that nature. We pushed forward with what information we were able to collect from this failure. |