Week 10 - Completing the Loop
Continuing from last week, I picked up my 3d print from the fabrication lab.
Step 5: 3d printing - dealing with imperfections (sanding)
The printing took some time and did not produce the smooth surfaces I was expecting. To fix this, I used sand paper and a Dremel with a sanding attachment to smooth out the cap.
I accidentally over sanding some surfaces as seen in the images above, I believe that this could have been avoided if I just decreased the speed of Dremel and worked the sanding attachment slowly to produce a smoother look.
Final Images of 3d printed prototype.
The Final Reflection :'(
I am sad that this week will be the last week of this class, it was overall a more hands-on subject which I typically prefer. The subject has given me an insight into many things about the design process designers in the industry have to go through when a new product is being developed.
Taking design ideas from initial sketches to more technical engineering drawings, translating them into a physical foam prototype to produce both digital and 3d printed prototypes. This process seems incredibly innovative and makes so much sense, giving so many insights the world of product design.
Completing this subject has given me a sense of achievement, even if it was very hard keeping up with the pre-class and post-class activities on top of the tutorials and lectures. Through this struggle, i found that I create some friendships through the collective confusion during lectures. I felt very proud of myself when someone asked for my help or advice and felt proud for others when they answered my question with confidence.
I have learned the import of practice with both hand drawing, and digital drawing and know the right tools to use. Subtle elements like line thicknesses have such a great impact on an overall hand sketch and communicate a specific meaning to clients and other fellow designers.
Softwares like Photoshop, Rhino, 3dsmax, Solidworks etc. are also such vital tools for product design but never replace good old paper and pencil. Hand sketches are equally important as digital drawings and vice versa, even if Citrix was quite tempramental.
This class has taught me to never discredit the amount of creative freedom hand sketching can bring me. I was always so eager to jump into CAD software with an idea in mine without any existing sketches. The model would come out alright but I would not have extra length and the right fillet radius without mapping it out first on a piece of paper with a simple or comprehensive sketch.
I believe that throughout the duration of the course there has been an improvement in drawing skills in both technical drawing and free-hand sketching. The week 5 drawing exercises were probably my favourite tutorial, it created such a fun atmosphere in the classroom and also greatly improved my idea of 3D forms on a 2D page.
I am very thankful for this class, and for Gonz, Rob, and Sarah for helping us along the way and teaching us very valuable lessons. I could see the amount of effort they have put the whole term into creating an environment that was welcoming and a safe space to ask questions even if they were simple ones. They even went through the trouble of inviting second and third-year students to the classroom to give incredibly valuable advice and shared their experiences with internships and jobs in the in industry.
See you guys next term!!!!













