5th Yr Technology

Video of the walking Dinosaur

5th Yr Technology

WALKING ROBOT

This has been an interesting and very valuable exercise in introducing students to mechanisms and how they can be used to transmit motion from rotary to linear. The students started exploring this concept having introduced them first to a range of mechanisms and how extensively they are used in everyday items. Combining other aspects of their technology course, e.g. design process, project management etc, students outlined their final ideas on their drawing worksheets, e.g. Fig 1 and 2.

 

Fig 1

 

Fig 2

 

Students then began the manufacturing process combining materials, mechanisms and electronics to make their walking robots.

 

 Walking robot video to follow...

LC DCG

An interesting problem solved in SolidWorks

Every day students ask interesting questions and sometimes even pose problems which take a bit of time to solve. So when a DCG student wanted to draw a tapered helical spiral and google wasn't throwing up any help, a lot of heads started banging together and eventually a solution was found. Instead of using the traditional sweep feature to extrude a circle along a helical spiral which would result in the same diameter spiral Fig 1, a loft between varying diameter circle profiles using the centre line profile of a helical spiral was the solution Fig 2 & 3.

Fig 1 

 Fig 2

Fig 3

4th Year Technology

MP3 Speaker

Transition year students have been busy making an MP3 audio speaker for the last couple of weeks. This project is based on the audio amplifier PCB which was sourced from Rapid Electronics. Students helped design the casing for the speaker using the CNC and production began from there. Its a great little project which gives the students a taste of all aspects of technology from vacumn forming acrylic and finishing to populating PCB's. All stages of manufacture are shown below.

Et Voila!!

2nd Year Technology

Power Boat Project

Second year technology students are currently designing and making a power boat. This is a great little project and the students are being very creative in their designs. It allows the students to work with foams and plastics while integrating a very simple circuit using a small standard dc motor to power their boats. Now that the the designs are in let the fun begin...

Sample Student Designs

1st Yr Technical Graphics

Perspective Exercises

During the sampling session of Technical Graphics first year students excelled in their understanding and creative use of perspective. Some of their work is shown below.

5th Year Technology

Picture Frame CNC Project

 

5th year technology students were given the design task of designing and making a flat pack, slot together picture frame made from acrylic plastic. Another challenge facing them was that it had to be manufactured by CNC.

 

Having done a couple of weeks with 2D CAD drawing, students were able to draw their designs while gaining an understanding of the parameters with which the CNC machine operates; machine plans, selection of tooling and paths, feed speeds and rates and machine limits. Below are the stages involved.



 

CAD drawing and machining plans

CNC machining of acrylic 

Machined picture frame parts 

Selecton of students finished picture frames