For the Engineering project, I decided to make an elastic-powered car with a 3-millimeter thick wood laser cut with extruding parts to allow for me to apply adhesive to stick the pieces together.
Techniques I will need to master:
One of the major components of my project is the laser-cut body, so I spent a lot of time manually drawing out the lines from scratch to cut and to ensure that the parts are cut at the same length in order to fit in together. I decided to use Adobe Illustrator to design the body of the car due to me being somewhat familiar with the software. If help is needed with the laser-cutting portion of the car, I can search online and consult one of the design facilitators on laser-cutting.
After all the parts are laser cut, I will need to stick the wood pieces together. I plan on using wood glue, which works well with flat, 90 degree corners in a staggered pattern (see sketch and adobe illustrator picture). I have used wood glue in the past during Grade 8 Product Design to stick together a laser-cut box, therefore I feel that I should be able to use wood glue effectively. If I do run into trouble using wood glue, I can consult the design facilitators and they can give me advice on the usage and application of wood glue.
I will also need to use hot glue in order to apply the dowels/columns that hold the rubber bands in place, which I can do by practicing using the hot glue gun or with help from my colleagues. Previously in Grade 8 Product Design, I have used hot glue therefore I feel that I will be able to accomplish using hot glue in my project.
Materials needed:
- Skewers to act as axles (Confirmed)
- Straws to hold axles (Confirmed)
- 3mm Plywood for the body of car (To be confirmed)
- Laser-cutting machine to cut wood (Confirmed, need to send parts in advance)
- Wood glue (Confirmed)
- Hot glue (Confirmed)
Timeline:
Lesson 1: Inquire into materials, start designing laser-print template
Lesson 2: Finish laser-print template, start laser-cutting
Lesson 3: Finish 1st prototype, re-print parts (if needed), ask for feedback
Lesson 4: Start final product assembly
Lesson 5: Finish final product, test product