Week 9

Week 9: Wednesday and Thursday in Lab

The group met up outside their regular lab hours to begin the assembly and construction. The first problem they faced was a fault of the handle design, which prohibited the rod from fitting in the handle. Rasheem came up with the brilliant idea of cutting the fiberglass rod and inserting the latch through the handle. Tony and Micah executed this plan, which turned out to be far easier and more stable than Micah had previously anticipated.

Idealized handle set up

Micah had been avoiding cutting into the handle, because he believed that it would be difficult and cause the rod to crack- however the fiberglass proved extremely durable yet easy to cut. Rasheem and Tony later met up and attached a spring to the latch, so that it is ready to be attached to the handle covering.

More 3D printed parts- for the upper shaft

Measuring the appropriate length for the hole where the button of the handle will be placed

Week 9, Saturday May 28th : Open lab

The group was unable to build during this session, because the commuter lounge - where are the parts were kept - was closed for repairs. Despite these setbacks, the group printed out another piece, the canopy bottom, and cut out the second hemisphere of vinyl for the canopy.

Measuring the second half of the canopy

The group had printed out the canopy bottom the night before, but a printer failure forced the group to restart the print job. This was the third time the piece had to be printed out, but fortunately it was created and cleaned without any more problems.

Another 3D printing part- for the upper shaft for the umbrella

Anticipated wait time for 3D part

Sanding the canopy base

Canopy base after being sanded down

The plan is to print out the final piece; a connector for the canopy bottom, and begin assembly of the handle tomorrow during lab hours. Regardless of the outcome, the group will continue assembly of anything and everything available, as thursday’s lab session and saturday’s open lab will be the group’s last opportunity to finish the project. Starting next monday, the group will be forced by time constraints to begin wrapping up the project and preparing a presentation and report of their progress.