The Shelf
Mechanics of motion had evaded me since beginning to 3D print. The most motion I’ve been able to incorporate into a part was a simple wheel on a rod. This proved fruitful, however, as I soon realized that almost all motion within mechanical parts at some point ends up being a product of rotational energy. I was especially taken with this design, having seen the product in action. I modeled the parameters on the project after this nifty table/shelves:
Recreating this project has a couple of goals:
eidetic design
Rotation in 3D Printing
Eidetic Design
Eidetic: "marked by or involving extraordinarily accurate and vivid recall especially of visual images”
The mathematician who memorizes an entire column of a phone book in one glance. The philosopher who can memorize a book after a single pass. The artist who can sketch the entire skyline of a city from memory. These are those gifted with photographic memory who have trained it to become eidetic memory. This begins with a realization that “you remember things better” and must be followed with a concerted effort to develop that into somewhat of a superpower.
A designer with eidetic memory looks at a product of design (ex: a car engine) and understands not only the object they are looking at but also has knowledge of the components, processes, and mechanics within (ex: fluid flowing, chambers heating and cooling, explosions being redirected, etc).
The designer is then gifted with a new vision, of the next thing to build and how they must build it. This they transfer to paper or to software to share with the rest of their design/engineering team. An AI with this capability of astute observation and precise drafting could prove a valuable ally.
This project was one of my training grounds for eidetic design. Having seen inspiration on a social media, an observation revealed how the mechanics worked (plates pivot as the bars are lowered, so that are always perpendicular to the wall). Here is the current version of the design:
Designing rotation for 3D printing
I’ll come right out and say that I have no idea where to start with this. I want to make some kind of pin and hinge and the design process is easy within Fusion 360. To consider is the schema for printing: do I print the hinge parts separate from the pin, or do I try to print the model with full-build? If I’m printing full-build, at what angle should I print? This has proven critical with “tunnel” structures before; it should prove essential now, right?
