Drawing Machine

This project was created during “ENGI 210: Prototyping and Fabrication”, a course I took Spring 2019. See original posts.

For my midterm project I chose to develop a drawing machine. The following photo gallery shows my general process in developing a concept, producing a low-fidelity prototype in cardboard, and a final design in laser cut wood.

Low fidelity prototype in cardboard.

Laser cutting using wood.

Pattern using 40-36-100-50 gear set.

Alternative orientation using the 74 teeth gear.

Equipment:

  • Laser cutter
  • Plasma cutter
  • Metal files
  • Sandblaster
  • Clamps
  • Safety goggles

Materials used:

  • Plywood
  • 1/8 inch aluminum
  • Variety of Dowels
  • Rubber bands (for marker grip mechanism)
  • 1/4 inch bolts, washers, nylon washers
  • Markers
  • Wood glue
  • Epoxy (for wood to metal adhesion)
  • 90 lb Card stock.

My total cost would be estimated from using two full 3′ x 3′ plywood sheet during my process – $12. A pack of dowels would cost about $2, with additional bolt/washers/epoxy/glue I would quote at less than $10. I sourced all my materials from the OEDK so had not paid out of pocket directly but a material cost total would end up around $22, with an additional labor cost of $80 in labor and equipment time, I can see this project adding up to over $100 to make.


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Comments

One response to “Drawing Machine”

  1. Mia Avatar
    Mia

    This is so cool! Reminds me of some plastic drawing thing I got for Christmas one year as a kid that I cannot recall the name of. But it also evokes Victorian machinery for me, and the Industrial Revolution with its cogs and ingenious machinations, which actually began in a town very close to where I grew up in the UK!
    Are you a mathematician? I feel like it must have mathematical applications or implications too??

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