This week we were back in the Maker Lab! For the first hour, we got the opportunity to talk to __ from Shapeways. First, she showed us around their lab. It was super interesting to see all of the different departments. She then gave us some advice on being a maker. I found her background very relatable because she majored in film and I am very interested in the film industry. She then continued to talk about how she was lucky enough to be a part of the age where film transferred to digital. This is what started her interest in 3D printing, technology and making. I also found it interesting that Shapeways can print products with over 60 different materials. Overall, the speech was very intriguing and left me wanting more information…
The assigned readings and videos this week really connected nicely to our speaker and Prof. Vishal’s instructions on prototyping. They talked about the importance of drawing out your prototype and getting initial feedback from users.
Our Project:
After the speaker, we then got the chance to start prototyping our final projects. We are making a solar powered coffee cup heater for non-microwavable mugs. We believe this would be useful because a lot of times mugs are non-microwavable, so if you want to reheat your beverage, you would have to transfer it to another container, which is a hassle. Our first idea for our prototype is displayed below.
After a little thought, we thought it would be more aesthetically pleasing for the product to be in a figure 8 formation. So, we then drew it out and came up with a design and eventually 3D printed a smaller version of what we were thinking.
This is a perfect example of the importance of prototyping. We came up with an initial idea, didn’t like it and changed it on the spot. We then had to think of the actual makings of the product. First, we need a solar panel that would be small enough to fit on our product, but not too small that it wouldn’t attract enough light to be powerful. We are currently in the process of contacting the Fab Lab to see if they can help us out with that. In addition, we need a heating device to put the mug on. Prof. Vishal suggested going to some places around campus and taking apart old devices and products to find what we are looking for.
After some thought and talking to our professor, we came to the conclusion that a single solar panel is not going to create enough energy and heat to heat up a coffee mug. Therefore, we decided it would be beneficial and essential to add a battery pack to the product in order to create more heat.
Overall, we are obviously still in the beginning phases of this process, but I am confident we can create a great final product! Thanks for reading and can’t wait to see all of your projects!