How might I use the design process and different manufacturing processes to develop a functional, meaningful artifact?
Role: Designer
Date: Winter 2019
Skills: Sketching, Lo-Fi Prototyping, Hi-Fi Prototyping, TIG Welding, Sandblasting/Bead Blasting, Solidworks, Adobe Illustrator
Prompt: Using manufacturing processes (e.g. milling, sandcasting, welding, and lathe), carry a single project through the entire design process from conceptualization through presentation of a customer ready prototype
My Journey.
Ideation + Sketching.
With the mission of making a meaningful artifact in mind, I began my journey by considering the people closest to me and the types of things they might find interesting or helpful.
From there, I took into consideration the scope of my project, my budget for materials, and the machining processes required to manufacture my parts. Recreating my sketches in CAD (Solidworks) was especially helpful in this process and gave insight as to the feasibility of manufacturing the parts within a 10-week quarter.
Lo-Fi Prototyping.
Following the sketching and ideation phase, I noticed that some of my ideas might be to hard for a beginner to manufacture due to their complex geometry.
I decided to switch to one of my simpler design that I very excited about and used cardstock to begin thinking about the size of my part and its construction.
Trying something new.
Through the course’s labs, I had the chance to try my hand at each of the manufacturing processes available in the Product Realization Lab (PRL) and found that I most enjoyed welding. This was incredibly exciting because the materials fell well within my budget and made the most sense for my bento box design.
Practice makes perfect.
Instead of diving straight into the final prototype, I spent time gaining mastery in all the skills required to manufacture my bento box including sheet metal bending, TIG welding, and waterjet cutting.
In order for my part to be food safe, I used aluminum which proved to be a bit trickier to weld due to it heating properties. Gradually, I felt competent enough in each of these skills to move forward with the final construction of the box.
