User:1sfoerster/enes100/fall2013/p2Plexiglass

Team Member

 * Chris Snyder
 * Zachary Krell
 * Edward Graves

Problem Statement (Finish description)
There are currently not enough resources at Howard Community College to create items with Plexiglas. The end result is to:
 * Allow students to come into the Engineering Room and manipulate the different acrylics
 * Develop a method for students to cut, drill and bend Plexiglas with the tools provided by HCC
 * Create a Plexiglas case that will display projects in the Engineering hallway

Conceive

 * Create a heat table that will allow for users to bend Plexiglas safely and accurately
 * Design project display case
 * Develop a method for cutting, drilling, and engraving Plexiglas
 * Utilize the Full Spectrum 5th Generation Laser Cutter to allow for precise cutting of smaller pieces
 * Testing of LED's inside of Plexiglas
 * Finding an effective way of removing scratches from acrylic







Resources/Materials:

Instructables: Instructions for Cutting, Bending, Drilling


 * Nickel Chromium: http://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Chromium-Nichrome-Resistance-Gauge/dp/B00AWS4AU6/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1382019311&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=nichrome+wire

4. http://www.tapplastics.com/product/supplies_tools/plastic_tools_supplies/power_control/290 A power supply to control the temperature of the free standing heater

Heating For Bending Acrylic Hack http://hackaday.com/2010/12/02/heater-for-bending-acrylic/

and this website will explain further about the materials that were being used.
 * http://pcbheaven.com/projectpages/Acrylic_Glass_Folding_Heater/

Instructables: Instructions for Cutting, Bending, Drilling

Design
In order to test our methods of manipulating the material, we began working with the acrylic.

First, we created a lightning bolt to text our method of cutting. We than decided to expand and add LED's to the Lightning bolt to test how to drill into the Plexiglass. We then placed the LED's inside the drilled holes. This allowed us allowed us to see how the light reacted with the acrylic.







We are currently working designing a case that will stand outside of the Engineering Room at Howard Community College. The case will be used to display projects that have been worked on by the students of HCC. These are a few ideas that our group believed were ideal solutions for the Plexiglas display case.







Implementation
Based upon our resources and time, we decided that Design #3 was the best choice because it was simple and allowed us to utilize the acrylic without wasting any.







Operation
Currently, we are working on the construction of a full scale model of the case. Our model will most likely use an alternate material in order conserve the Plexiglas in case we have a miscalculation. We also will be able to experiment using the different designs.

We are also currently trying to configure the laser cutter so that we can use it to make precise cuts. Even though the laser cutter still needs to be adjusted, we went ahead and downloaded the software, known as RetinaEngrave3D. This software allows us to copy/paste or draw a design and then scale it down to where it can be cut out on by the laser. Hopefully we wil be able to use the laser cutter to help create the display case.

Model: Full Spectrum 5th Generation Laser Printer

Website for software: http://fullspectrumengineering.com/Protected/DownloadRetina.html
 * Note- A username and password are needed in order to access the secure website.



Next Steps

 * Use the laser cutter to cut/engrave different shapes into the acrylic.
 * Begin creating a large scale model of what the display case will look like using cardboard. Eventually, the case will be made once the dimensions are set.
 * Construct the heating table that will allow us to accurately bend the Plexiglas.
 * We would also like to continue experimenting with different LED's and observe how the thickness of the glass affects how well the lights work.