Week 1 Press Fit Construct Project

First of all, let's take a look at the result. I made a wine bottle holder over the past week, starting from not knowing anything about coding, graphic design or engineering.



Thanks to the help of many people in the section. I was able to learn and make baby steps as follows:

I created the product design using power point, since I noticed at fab lab that the laser cut can actually read *.ppt file. I later also played around AutoCAD to know some basics so that I can do more complex design later on. In my design, I used both red lines and blue lines to experiment engraving patterns to the "cover" layer of the product. Overall, I was excited about the concept of creating 3D structure using 2D components with press fit construct.

The concept worked but in execution, my power spec is a bit too low and therefore the engraving isn't as obvious as I wanted it to be. And it was exciting seeing the cutting process, as a first timer!

                       

The assembly process was the best part of this project. In my opinion, one of the difficulties of press fit construct is to cut the slot in a precise way not too big or too small. Yet, since cardboard actually have air in the material, it has flexibility. Therefore, I decided to cut the slot exactly at 1/8 inch. If it's small I can always press the cardboard so that it will deflate first to fit in and inflate again to achieve a stable structure. It also allows the structure to be both super stable and super adjustable.

                         

A few other notes:

(1) I also made myself a tiny sticker using vinyl cutter. I wish I will continue loving my computer as my learning further progresses in this class.
(2) Project photography matters. I should find a space with good background and lighting.
(3) Learning distributed version control was more time consuming than I imagined. Finding a good beginner's tutorial was very helpful.
(4) Material matters. Finding the right tool and right structure for the materials that you are working on is critical. Similarly, finding the right material and right tool for the project objective that you are trying to achieve is also critical.