As I continue to push forward with this project, I am made aware of the challenges that I am soon to face. The school year is quickly coming to a close and I am constrained by the limited time left for design, iterations, and assembly. I am aware that there will be issues with my project and need to be able to catch those in time to fix them. Some components could be handmade or purchased, but there is a limited amount of money minimizing the type of components I could buy. While there is no class limit for this project, I would like to make multiple reproducible designs that can be affordable. I need to make sure that the components I use can be cheaply and easily made. This requires me to think carefully about the parts I am choosing as well as the assembly process. However, I must also include design decisions that focus of size and weight of the piece. Because this piece will be worn, it must be comfortable for the user. The material selection will be key to reducing the weight and size, but will be limited by the pricing. I intend to use acrylic, but it could be heavy and bulky in order to achieve the desired strength. A classmate suggested that I could etch copper and use a chemical to break it apart. This might be a good solution, but will take research and experimentation. The final constraint will be the meshing of gears. Gears must be aligned appropriately and the teeth of the gear must fit together. This will require the appropriate design to ensure that the gears move and will not get damaged after continued use.
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this project is great, because you can picture this as a product that can be sold. if you do not want to spend time designing the gear you can always a cad file from McMaster carr, and then use the laser cuter to assure that the gears fit. Material that can be laser cut could save you the time and money. There are so many different colors of acrylic with any thickness. I can see this being mostly used for a neckless but a bracelet is still doable. less gear would be great for a bracelet.
I agree that time is a huge constraint, especially for this project. Gear design in itself can be quite complicated if you want them to mesh correctly. I recommend playing around on solidworks and making gears that can mesh. The copper seems like a great idea, but I am concerned with how thick you can make those pieces and if they will actually hold up when meshing? Just a thought. Also glad to help out with the SolidWorks if you need it 🙂
I think you brought up some really great constraints and I understand that your biggest restraint isn’t necessarily the aesthetic of the design, but the functionality of the design itself. I think it would definitely be wise to start experimenting and testing different materials as soon as possible. I think you could make multiple prototypes that show your process of your decision for what material would be best for what you are trying to accomplish. I think it is great you are thinking about so many different requirements the project entails and that you are looking to make the jewelry into something that can be reproduced again. I also think it is wise you are considering the limited time to complete the project as well.
I think it’s a good idea that you’re thinking of multiple pieces, in case you decide to produce these and sell them. I also agree that time is a huge constraint to finish some of the projects the students are thinking of. It would be interesting if we had the whole semester to do one big project.
I think aligning the gears on a ring or bracelet will be extremely difficult, maybe starting with a necklace for this project would be a good starting point that you could build upon after this class. That’s sort of what I’m planning on with my project; getting a feel for the material I’m working with so that I can do a bigger personal project when the class is over.