Statement of Intent.
Posted: December 18, 2014 Filed under: Ideas, Subject | Tags: laser cutting. Leave a commentI am going to finalise the designs I have already begun to plan during the Christmas break so that when I return in January I will be able to begin making as soon as possible.
I plan to focus on my two laser cut kits for the first couple of weeks, as I will have just had an operation and be unable to stand for long periods of time. This will allow me to get Kit 1 to fit together more accurately and to develop a way for the light to stand, it will also mean getting a head start on Kit 2. Any time I have that isn’t dedicated to laser cutting will be spent constructing push moulds for the plans I have for Spin (which also employs the use of laser cutting) and beginning to figure out the mechanisms in three dimensions.
I am hoping I will have already sourced most of the materials I will need for the term also, so will mean I can speed up production times as I will not be waiting for too many things to arrive.
Once I have spent a couple of weeks focusing on laser cutting I will then begin to work on the plans created for Up Down as this design is more simple (at the moment) than the others.
Evaluative Statement
Posted: December 18, 2014 Filed under: Ideas, Subject, Uncategorized Leave a commentAt the beginning of the term I found that I was useless at planning my work and organizing when I would be able to use the workshops, this is partly due to being in a different working environment and my health problems. I am now planning my work down to the smallest detail before I begin; this means I am able to estimate how long each object, or parts of, will take to produce which then allows me to organize the right amount of time to make them. I have never needed to work as precisely as I have been this year, this was a struggle in the beginning, but I have adapted to this method of working and feel that it now works better for me as I am leaving less to chance and so making less mistakes.
One of the challenges I have faced has been with the laser cutter in product design, I was unable to cut my designs due to the limitation of the machine as it was not precise enough and left many burn marks. I have since been inducted on the textiles laser cutter and found it more precise and leaving a better finish on my work, although I have had a new set of tolerances to learn. I have been using this machine for two months and am now finally competent to use it alone, the only problem is the demand for the equipment which means I am unable to cut work as often as I need to.
I have learnt faster methods of planning and producing work that is accurate and of a high standard, such as the jig I have made to produce the bendy light. It has cut out the need to accurately draw up each cut on the wood so also improves the quality. I will be continuing to work on improving the quality of my work and the time it takes me to produce.
Bend.
Posted: December 18, 2014 Filed under: Subject | Tags: acrylic, art, cardiff school of art and design, cnc, design, Final design, light, light source, student, wood Leave a comment
Final design. This is the first finished light. I am happy with the finish of the wood and the organisation of the perspex wedges in the bend.
I feel that the light source could be altered to incorporate a strip of LED’s to make the light more directional, or less holes could be cut to reveal less of the bulb.
Research.
Posted: December 16, 2014 Filed under: Ideas, Process, Subject, Uncategorized | Tags: art, cardiff school of art and design, DIY, light, pinterest, sketchbook, student Leave a commentI have been using my Pinterest account as a tool to organise the research I have done this term, I also have some important pieces dotted around my sketchbook and design sheets.
I feel that Pintereset is more useful than simply sticking in images from my sketchbook as I can link directly to the source of information and I will always have these reference points. It also keeps me more organised and is better for the environment. So far I have four boards based on my interests:
A link to my board: “Artefacts” which is full of lighting products and designs:
A link to my board “Kits” which is full of DIY kits and those that can be bought:
A link to my board “Instillation Art” which is filled with exhibitions and collections:
A link to my board “Joints” which includes innovative ways of joining materials together:
Experiments for Kit 1.
Posted: December 12, 2014 Filed under: Subject | Tags: cardiff school of art and design, design, flat pack, laser cutting., light, light shade, maker, measurement, student, wood Leave a comment
Now that I have made adjustments to the flexibility of the material I can now work out the measurements for the top and base of the light. I have taken the measurement of the wood cut for the shade and worked out the size the circle needs to be, but this is not exactly correct. The measurements are only out by a couple of millimetres so it will now become trial and error to obtain the right size.
I have also began working on the way the bulb will be held within the light shade and also legs to turn the shade into a table lamp. I want the light to be able to be used as a ceiling pendant and as a table lamp.
Flexibility Experiments.
Posted: December 9, 2014 Filed under: Subject | Tags: art, cardiff met, cardiff school of art and design, laser cutting., light, student, wood Leave a comment
I have been experimenting with the spacing of my living hinges to determine which spacing works best, and it appears that using smaller cuts closer together is the most flexible design, although it can make the piece more brittle.
Adding light to the bend.
Posted: December 4, 2014 Filed under: Process, Skills, Subject | Tags: art, cardiff school of art and design, design, light, student, wood Leave a comment
After the success of the bendy wood I have created, I am now working out ways in which to imbed an E14 bulb holder and a pygmy LED. I have worked out that the smallest the wood can be is 40mm by 40mm to allow for the size of the bulb holder, it is quite a large fitting to hold such a small bulb.
This is the first attempt to cut into the wood to allow this all to fit, and for the bulb to shine through. I have cut a 33mm hole 84mm into the wood, which allows for the bulb holder and the bulb to fit in snugly. I have had a problem with this first piece, as I then attempted to create 20mm holes around each side. I have learnt the hard way that the wood is too fragile for this as you can see in the bottom picture it has broken.
I have since attempted to create these holes again, but instead I have created the smaller 20mm holes before cutting the larger 33mm hole and it has been successful. The wood left at the corners is quite fragile, but I like the look of the fragility and it adds a bit more interest to the piece, rather than a bendy stick of wood.
Next I need to tackle the design of the base, I don’t want something over complex as I feel it will have to potential to take away from the beauty of the bend.
Alice's ArtVenture 