Blog 11: This week in Technology I worked on my project. I am done with my dragster and CAD model and need to work on my documents. For my dragster the physical model is all done, painted, and I have already raced it. It all turned out very nice. I added all of the details to my CAD model and completely wrapped that up. All I have left are the various documents and to make my presentation. Overall this project has taught me a lot about technology and how to use many different tools on Solidworks. I had never done anything like this. I think it is so important to be learning these skills because the world is very technology based. Now, if someone asked me to create something in Solidworks, I could do some basic things. I am sure I will get better and better with this technology. I know a lot of adults that don’t know how to use this technology and that could hold them back from some jobs. Even my parents don’t know anything about this. This project did challenge me more than I expected. One of the hardest parts for me was if you made one mistake, it would mess the file up and you couldn’t move on. Sometimes I wouldn’t understand what the mistake was. One of the most fun parts was racing my finished product. Something I found easy was making the original shape for my helicopter. Since Solidworks is such a complicated program I think it will help with other hard programs that other people would have trouble with. I bet in regular high school classes you don’t get exposed to this technology as much. If you do get the chance, I bet it is very basic. Overall these projects were a really helpful experience.
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Blog 10: This week and over spring break I made a lot of improvements to my CAD model. While I was in California over the break I finished the the the major portion of my helicopter and I only have some minor details to add to the model. While I was working on the helicopter I ran into a problem that seemed bigger than it was at the time. When I made my propeller for the model and added it to my assembly I realized the body of the helicopter was way too big. At first I was freaking out because I thought I wasted all this time and effort on making this body. I started to calm down and I tried to figure out a solution. At first I was looking around solid work trying to find a tool that would shrink the whole body of the CAD model but I couldn’t find one and I assumed that there wasn't one at all. All of the sudden it hit me out of the blue, all I had to do was shrink the individual parts of the body to make it the right size. After I shrunk each part of the body I connected the propeller using mates. I had to make a couple adjustments to the propellers before they looked right on the body of the helicopter. After adding the propellers to the model I made the landing gear. My first try of the landing gear had some flaws so I had to make some adjustments. My helicopter was coming together really well but there was one more step to really making the body complete and that was the back propeller. This propeller was a bit easier then the full sized one because well it was a lot smaller. This week I’m glad I am almost done with my CAD model and I am proud of the work I have done.
Blog 9: This week for Technology I worked on my dragster assembly and my CAD model. For my dragster I started with the assembly. After I created the assembly I added an axle and two small wheels. Once I added these parts I had to merge them together. To do this, the first thing I did was merging the outside edges of the axle and the two small wheels. This made it so the parts were lined up but not connected. I then merged the outside edge of the axle and the inside edge of the wheel. This made it so the parts were perfectly lined up. The last step was merging the outside face of the axle and the inside face of the wheel. This connected the wheels to the axle completely. I am going to need to repeat this process to have two sets of wheels. I am going to do that next week. I am in the process of adding holes for the axles for my dragsters online. I am done with my physical model but this all is for the collection of information for the process of creating my dragster. I also worked on my CAD model this week. I am making a helicopter for my project. My helicopter has a big, round dome on the front and the sides are smooth. The tail is long like many helicopters you see. I finished creating all of the fillets on the helicopter to make it smooth and now I will move onto windows, doors, and other details. After I add the details, I will need to create propellers and the landing gear. I won’t be able to create these in the same file as my body. I will need to create other files and then make them individually and then make an assembly to merge them all together. I enjoy using solidworks and it has given me new skills as I haven’t ever done anything like this. It is a lot of fun!
Blog 8: This week for Technology I focused on my CAD model. I am finished with the dragster model but I am waiting to race it. For my CAD model, I have been focusing on creating it. I made my first body of the CAD model and Mrs. Tawzer taught me how to mirror the window on a model but my plane was messed up so I had to start over. I remade my CAD model and it turned out to be a better design. I made sure to be on the right plane. I first started out by making a block and then drew the outline of the helicopter on the block and then proceeded to cut the outside excess from the block. After that, I added fillets to the outside of the helicopter to make it smooth so it will actually look like a helicopter. It was interesting messing with the length of the fillets to see how smooth I could get the helicopter. The next step in making my CAD model will be adding little details like windows and all of the outside parts. The way I create my windows is by first creating the outline of the window on the body of my CAD model and then extruding it so it pops out a little and makes it visible.I then changed the colors of the windows for now so I could see them. I will then have to create an assembly so I can create my propellers and legs for landing. I am curious on how to add all of these parts together in the assembly. I don’t know if it is going to be hard or easy. The hardest part of making my CAD model is definitely going to be making the propellers because they are very thin and they need to be identical. I feel I am doing good on my CAD model and on schedule.
Blog 7: This week in Technology I got to race my dragster. It went very well and it was so much fun. First, I added screw eyes into the bottom of my dragster so it can connect to fishing line. The first step of setting up the race track was taking the starting piece and the finishing piece and measuring fifty feet between them. We originally only were going to do twenty five feet apart, but changed it to fifty feet so there is more distance for the dragsters to travel. On my first try when I only had the track twenty five feet apart, we were holding the fishing lines and the dragster went to fast and I wasn’t expecting it that it hit my finger very hard. We used a formula to figure out the dragster was traveling about 23 miles per hour I think. After the dragster hit my finger we decided to make the track longer. To start making the track you actually begin at the end of the track. You then tie the fishing line to the end of the track, and then you lace it through the screw eyes on the bottom of the car and tie it to the beginning of the track making sure that it is straight. You do this for each racing car. We took a large plank of wood and drilled two tiny holes where the fishing line goes and screwed two screw eyes in there. This is where you tie the fishing line on the finish line. We put a cushion in front of it so it didn’t hit our hands. After we raced four times, Ms. Tawzer told us we should try to make improvements on our dragsters and maybe even make a new one. I went to the fab lab and made a new dragster design based off my old one. This time I made the slope on the top of the dragster a bit more sloped and I curved the edges a bit. I am going to use small wheels this time and I painted it a lighter blue. Overall this has been so much fun.
Blog 6: This week in technology we painted our dragsters and worked on our CAD models. I decided to paint my dragster blue. I used a can of spray paint with a gloss finish. I went outside and set up a piece of long brown paper and sat four small triangle tripods down so I could have good angles for painting and also help the bottom dry faster. I went and sprayed it down once and let it dry and repeatedly this twice. Once the final layer of the dragster finished drying, I went to the fab lab and sanded down some bumps and imperfections. I then cut my clear plastic straw in half and got it ready to put in the dragster with the wheels. I left my wheels in the fab lab when I was letting them dry and when I came back one of my wheels was gone. I found the wheel with the axle but the individual wheel was missing. I need to get a new individual wheel or another set this week now. My next step is going to be racing my dragster and possibly adding a small design. My CAD model needs some more details added and then I will print it out. It is going to be fun racing our dragsters. I think mine is going to do great. This reminds me that I need to add a metal rod or something on the bottom of my dragster to keep it connected to the track. I need to ask Ms. Tawzer about this. I am curious how many dragsters will race at once and what design will go the fastest. I wonder if there is a certain quality between the good dragsters that makes them do well. Overall this has been a fun project.
Blog 5: This week I took the model of my dragster from solidworks and created a drawing so I could cut my dragster out. I started by taking my dragster file and putting it in a drawing format. Ms. Tawzer helped me figure out how to do this and it wasn’t too difficult. I then printed this drawing out and went to the fab lab. I first took a practice dragster and sanded it down using the router to practice and then I took that same practice wood and drilled holes in it for the wheels and axles. After I was done practicing, I picked out the wood for my real dragster and glued the printed out drawing on the side and top. It took me awhile but I got the piece of wood to match what my model looked like. After I was done making adjustments to the wood, I took the base over to the drill press. I drilled four holes on the sides of the dragster, two on each side. Those holes will be for the wheels. The final step was taking the dragster and sanding the body down one more time with a sheet of sandpaper to make sure it's smooth and goes fast. Next week I will need to cut a plastic straw in half and put it inside the wheel holes. This is because if I do not, the metal rod that connects the wheels will rub against the wood and it damage the inside of the wheel holes and make the wheels wiggle around. Next week, I am also going to paint my dragster. I have decided to use the blue spray paint because it is my favorite color and it will have a glossy finish so it looks really good. Next week for my CAD model I will be adding a lot of the details for my humvee, such as windows, wheels, and the grill on the front. I still am not sure when we'll be cutting out our CAD model. I feel like I am doing well on this project and keeping up. I am curious to see what other people have designed for their CAD model and if they are very detailed. I have spent a good amount of time designing my dragster and CAD model so I hope they turn out good. I hope my dragster does well when we race them against each others. I am still considering painting a design on the sides, but I have not decided what. It was very interesting working with the sander and the drill. I have used tools like them before when I worked on wood projects. These tools at school are definitely bigger and easier to use. It is cool to be using all of these tools. I remember touring EDGE and seeing all of this and wondering what we would do with these tools someday. I have never made anything like this is normal school and it has been very fun. It is only pen and paper in average school classes but we get to use all of these different resources to make great things.
Blog 4: This week we worked on the bodies of our Dragster and CAD model. We also learned how to connect parts in an assembly in solid works. The first step for this week was watching the videos on how to create an assembly. I also made changes to the body of my dragster and my CAD model. For my dragster I changed the body from being smooth to having edges again. I did this because the wheels will have a better area to connect to if there are flat surfaces. For my CAD model I changed some of the edges of my humvee to try to make it look more realistic. Next week I will download the wheels and add them to my assembly. I will have to add one wheel at a time and attach them to my dragster because there is only one wheel per file so I have to add the file four times. I am starting to get more familiar with the tools of solid works. I am beginning to understand the tricks of each tool and where they are located within the menu. I finally figured out how to make the co2 cut out in the back of my dragster. I figured out how to use the task bar to apply the measurement for the cut outs. I made a new assembly in solid works and added my dragster body. Next week I need to add the wheels and merge them to the body. Once I do this, the wheels and body will be attached together. I can then add the axle. After I combine all of the parts in solid works, I can begin to cut out the dragster from wood. One of my goals is to have my dragster completed as early as possible so I can focus on my CAD model. Even though I want to get it done as early as possible, I want to keep my work as high quality as possible. Once I focus on my CAD model, I am really going to begin to add the major and minor details to the humvee, such as wheels, windows and the axle. I figured out how to add color to my dragster in solid works but I won’t use it because the dragster is made out of wood. I will however be able to use this for my CAD model. I still am debating what colors I want to use. I’m deciding between blue and yellow. I am curious about what kinds of designs other people have chosen for their dragster. I am also interested in what type of vehicle people decided to make. I have had several questions for my teacher and received a lot of help. It is very cool that I have been able to learn how to design 3D models of objects on a computer. I am so excited to race my dragster at the end of this quarter and see if mine is one of the best. I hope mine goes fast.
Blog 3: This week I made my bases for my CAD model and my dragster. It was really fun making the bases because I was able to use new and cool tools in solid works. For my CAD model I decided to make a humvee. I did this because I am really interested in the military and it would be cool to have it in my room. It was difficult making the edges for the humvee but then I used the tool that lets you curve two edges. This made making the humvee a lot easier and a lot more fun. I started by cutting the top of the block in solid works so it would look like a humvee and I then proceeded to cut out spots for the wheels to go. After I did this my humvee the base was almost done. I made a couple of changes to the base and that fast it was done. It was really fun making the base for my humvee. Using solid works has been getting easiest for me over the time I have been doing this project. One of my goals for my CAD model project is making use I get it done early so I am not stressed out at the end. I also made the base for my dragster. I started out by making a block in solid works and cutting the shape out that I wanted my dragster to be. I then changed the width, length, and height to the required size. This was the hardest part of making my dragster base. It was hard because sometimes the measuring would not work but I know that I was doing something wrong. But with time I will be learn how to measure and change the length of things easy. For my CAD model project I plan to make it as detailed as possible so it looks good. It is going to be interesting trying to figure out what kinds of tools I can use to make the details. I need to find out what kind of paint is going to work best on the dragster and if we are going to color or paint the CAD model. I am not sure what paint will stick best to the dragster. Are we going to add color to the CAD model on the solid works website or after the product is printed? I am curious of how long it actually takes to print my design on the 3D printer and how long it will take to shave the wood to make my dragster body. My goals for next week are to begin the actual detailed work for my humvee, such as windows, wheels, headlights, and a grill. For my dragster I want to figure out how I am going to attach pieces and how the co2 works. I want to make sure I stay ahead and do good, quality work so I am not stressed out at the end. I am excited to race my dragster and see my final CAD model. Blog 2: This week it was very interesting doing our first part of our Tec project. It was very difficult but at the same time rewarding doing the intro to solid work assignment. It was hard making the object in solids work because the directions could be kind of confusing at times. It was difficult trying to make sure all of the prices fit together so the sketch would be able to be 3D. While I was making my vision/sketch board I was really able to imagine and understand what I wanted to do for my Dragster. I was able to see other people's ideas to better grasp what the best design for my Dragster would be. I got to see all the different types of Dragster I could chose from and different types of aesthetic designs. Before I made my sketch board I didn't really know what I would make my Dragster look like but after I made it I now know what I want it to look like. After looking at pictures I figured out that most Dragster a have thin wooden bodies to make them faster when they race. Even though I am going to make my Dragster thin I will still have to make it bigger enough so it can fit a co2 canister in it. After having some time to to decide I think I am going to still ether make my Dragster blue or some kind of Broncos color combination. I am also still curious about what kinds of parts we will be putting on the Dragster. Making my Sketch board for my CAD modeling was very fun because I was able to decide what type of vehicle I wanted to make. I have decided to ether make a modern military tank or a military humvee. It was interesting that most of the pictures of CAD models did not have much detail and they were all very smooth with no realistic edges. After looking at all of the pictures of the real military tanks and humvees I know how I am going to make the base of my CAD model. Something I am going to need to figure out is that kind of details I am going to add to my model. I know how to add things like round edges and lines but I do not know how to add all of the really small and detailed pieces to my tank/humvee. Something I could make sure I learn is how to make all of the small details so my model actually looks kind of real. I am really interested in the military so it would be really cool to have an actual model that I made of a military vehicle in my room. Building things like Dragsters and even things online has always seemed so cool to me so it is awesome that I will actually be able to do it and it is also cool that I will be able to make something that makes me want to dig deeper. |
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