This week was our first full week working in the OEDK! Much of the week was dedicated to learning the various tools and processes available to us in the OEDK as well as getting to know each other.
On Monday, we did OEDK safety training and a deconstruction lab. For the lab, each team had an old piece of technology to take apart. Florence and I deconstructed a fax machine, and it was very interesting to observe how each part was designed to fit a purpose within the unit. It really gives an appreciation for the thought that goes into the design process. We were very interested in some of the plastic gears we found! (below)
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we learned the tool chain that goes into metal and wood working. Starting out in Adobe Illustrator, we created and manufactured pieces for laser and plasma cutting. On the plasma cutter, everyone cut out the shape of where they were from. It was interesting to learn to use those tools, and I’m sure that knowledge will be put to use in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, we attended a PCB Mill workshop with Dr. Ciscon in the OEDK. We learned IsoPro, a helpful software for PCB manufacturing, and printed one side of the PCB board using the mill (below). It was very interesting to learn about the process, and it made me appreciate the complexity of circuits and the amount of work that goes into their manufacture.
On Thursday, we put the finishing touches on our laser and plasma cut pieces. This involved finishing techniques using Dremel tools, sandpaper, wire brushes, files, and stain for the wood. Below are my finished laser and plasma cut pieces, respectively (with a popsicle stick for scale!). The wooden laser cut piece was sanded down using coarse sandpaper, and finished with a stain. The Michigan-shaped metal piece was ground with a file, sandpapered, wire brushed, Dremel sanded, and wire brushed again.
Today, we learned a 3D drawing software called TinkerCAD. It will be useful for 3D printing in the coming weeks. Next week, we are focusing on building 3D printers! I can’t wait to learn more about it.
This week was full of interesting advanced manufacturing material that will be very useful in our upcoming projects. We learned a bit more about the projects and their motivations and applications today after meeting with our project mentors. To name a few, we will be working on an APGAR score device, an intubation equipment box, a blood pressure measure for rural settings, a respiration rate timer, and a low-cost breast pump. I’m eager to begin working and to apply what I’ve learned so far in the OEDK!