Project
For your final IDEA assignment you must complete the following challenge: Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle or Recycle items to help reduce our impact on the environment. Every day we use items that are meant to be thrown away. Your challenge is to take these items (and any you can make in the lab) to create a project that will lessen the amount of these things going into our landfills. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE ANY “PRE-WORK or RESEARCH IN YOUR DESIGNER NOTEBOOK! You will need to start a new section in your notebook titled “FINAL PROJECT” and document the steps needed in completing this assignment from start to finish. You may use any of the equipment in the Innovation Center and woods lab if you have had training on them.
Requirements
For the final project there was certain criteria that I had to follow:
- Complete documentation in your Design Notebook showing daily entries, sketches, research and steps on completion including all works cited.
- A web page on your Weebly site showing the entire project.
- The use of at least 3 machines (not including poster printer) in the Innovation center.
- 1-2 prototypes depending on the size. Mr. Willauer/Mrs. Proctor will determine how many items you will have to make.
Final Project Day 1
After brainstorming I decided to create a bird house. To make the project fit the up cycle part of the project I was going to make the bird house out of metal cans. My family is always throwing out metal cans so I thought that this would be a great thing to upcycle. I originally thought that I would make the and the roof out of metal cans which I would laser cut into the right shape. I would also 3-D print a base, and make vinyl designs to put on the outside. When I proposed my idea to Mr. Willauer, he approved my idea except he told me that the laser cutter wouldn't be able to cut out metal cans. I then had to re-think what I would do. I finally came up with the idea that I would cut the cans out myself, and 3-D print the front of the bird house, therefore I could use the laser to cut a hole out of the 3-D printed front, and I would still use the vinyl cutter to make vinyl decals. I then r-proposed my idea to Mr. Willauer but this time he said that the laser cutter would not cut the 3-D printed material, so I would have to use another material. I proposed cardboard but Mr. Willauer said that wouldn't hold up to the elements. I also proposed using acrylic but he reminded me that acrylic is clear and the birds might not like that. I then said that I could vinyl over the acrylic but I wasn't sure how the birds would react to that. So by the end of class I had a general idea of what I was going to make but I still wasn't sure on the specifics.
Final Project Day 2
I was sick last class and not at school so today is technically my 2nd day on my Final Project. However I had some time to think when I was sick and have finally finalized my ideas. I would make a bottom platform/floor for the bird house with the 3-D printer. Since the metal cans are what I am up cycling I want them to make the majority of the bird house and I am going to use them for the sides and roof. I was also going to laser cut out scrap cardboard from the innovation center to make a shell of the bird house that I could then put the metal cans on to. I am still going to use the vinyl cutter and make vinyl decals for the bird house. Since I had finally finalized my ideas I could go ahead and start on my final project. I was going to start by making the 3-D printed base. Today I decided on the dimensions, was able to create an Inventor file, and was able to start printing the base.
Final Project Day 3
When I came in today I had expected that my base would be all printed and ready to go. However I realized that the sides had warped. In order to stop this from happening again I was just going to make the base smaller. I re-Dimensioned on Inventor and then began printing again, hopefully this will work without a problem. While the base was printing I was able to draw up the dimensions of the cardboard sides in my notebook.
Final Project Day 4
Today when I came in my base had printed successfully which was a definite win. I was also able to cut the metal cans into sheets over the weekend at home. I also turned the can openers into a chain to hold up the bird house and used any extra to make a perch. Today since I had already drew up the cardboard pieces in my notebook all I had to do was make the Illustrator file and laser cut the cardboard out. I was able to do both of these things today. Now that I had the cardboard cut out all I had to do was make the vinyl decals.
Final project Day 5
Today was another successful day. I was able to create the Illustrator file for the vinyl decals. I also had enough time to cut out the vinyl decals. I even had enough time to weed out the vinyl decals and get them ready to apply. This took the entire class to do but I am now finished with everything in the Innovation center and I can finish my project at home.
Finishing up at home
After I had made the vinyl decals I was done with all the machines in the Innovation center. I was able to hot glue the metal sheets that I had cut out onto the laser cut cardboard. After the metal was on I then applied the vinyl decals. Finally I hot glued the sides on to the 3-D printed base. I then hot glued the roof on as well as the chain and perch. This proved to b a lot easier than I thought it would be and after this I had finished my final project.
My Finished Final Project
I had a lot of fun making this final project. I thought that it was a great way to end an awesome semester of IDEA class. It was actually easier than I thought to make. I thought my project effectively represented the up cycle idea of the project.
What I learned
I definitely learned a lot in this final project. I learned how to use recycling to my advantage and make something out of it. I also learned how to use three different machines to create one project. I also learned how to manage my time with my project as well as time on the machines. I also learned how to not give up because at first my project idea was not going to work but I didn't give up and I eventually made a working idea. All in all this was a great closing project to close up an awesome semester in an awesome class.