Well, it works. What with the baby and all, it took me a few months, but dang. it works.

So the project was to automate a time consuming part of these lamps that I make. The AMT crew was awesome in advising me on my first automated physical project of any kind. First time laser cutting, first time using arduino, first time lots of stuff.

Thanks to Costa for first conceptual chats, Arduino tutorial, laser training, and the steppers; to Stefan, Hans, and Mike for design discussions; to Aaron for gearing and machining advice, DavR for improving my crap Arduino code attempts, Steve and Stacy for language massage.

The lamps look like this:

[[Image:EnfoldingLamp1.png|343x368px|EnfoldingLamp1.png]] [[Image:EnfoldingLamp2.png]]

you can see video of it here: [http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AYLRrjMC Enfolding Lamp on Blip]

It’s made out of remnant polyethylene foam from a local foam fabrication shop. It’s spiral-cut with a hot wire controlled by Arduino using a couple of steppers, one mounted for axial rotation of the piece, and the other driving the lead screws. Most of the pieces were made with scrap lying around the laser room. While my first pieces made with this have just been replicating the way was making them by hand, the arduino control is going to make it possible to make shapes that I couldn’t do before.

The jig looks like this:

[[Image:EnfoldingShellCuttingJig.jpg|325x575px|EnfoldingShellCuttingJig.jpg]]

video available:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NTpmDfNtn0 Enfolding Shell Lamp Jig on Youtube]

There are a couple of other stages to making it, which also have jigs, but this was the interesting one. There’s also a lasered cutout for making the lamp take the right shape, and a couple of jigs for drilling axes and making lamp-parts. I’ll take a picture of them and put it up soon.

Thanks guys!

[[Category:Projects]]