Week 10: Practical Project (Working on The Enclosure)

Thanks to Tanya Menadue’s sketch I was able to create a 3D render of the basic enclosure in Sketchup. To join all the sides, I used a joinery technique as suggested by Puneet Sharma. I had initially thought of using either 3D printed corner joints or laser cut snap sides but was afraid the second acrylic would be too brittle for such a design. The joinery technique , a traditional woodworking technique, seemed like the best option since it didn’t involve thinly cut parts. In order to create the “finger joint” edges, I took into consideration the thickness of the acrylic (3 mm). I also did a quick 3D mock-up of what the enclosure would look like with the serrated “wave” edges. The final panels were then translated into Ai files for the laser cutter.

I initially suggested joining the panels with 3D printed joints

I initially suggested joining the panels with 3D printed joints

The joinery technique seemed the most appropriate

The design was then prototyped using cardboard first (we didn’t want to waste any acrylic sheets). Lucky for the us, the first prototype fit just right. This meant that we could proceed with cutting the acrylic.