Kate Behrens Final Project: Mixed Techniques

 Process:

    For my final project, I wanted to create a hummingbird feeder, which came with plenty of challenges and many trial-and-error phases. The process for this project was different from my previous projects, as I not only had to incorporate two skills learned over the course of the semester, but I also learned and attempted to vacuum form a part of my project as well. To make my feeder, I needed to create a container that would be able to hold hummingbird food (a liquid formula that is a 3:1 ratio, water to sugar) and flower feeder ports for the hummingbirds to access the food. To make the flower ports, I designed them in Fusion with the help of Dr. T, and used the 3D printer for my known techniques. Making the flower in Fusion was honestly a lot of fun, but I did have to reprint the flower as the first one came out way too big. But once it was scaled down, I successfully printed six flower feeder ports!












    My second known skill, or technique, involved the Rayjet laser cutter. The container for the feeder needed to have a lid where I could fill and clean the feeder, but also attach to the flower ports. So in Fusion, I created a lid with six holes on top that would fit the feeder ports and used acrylic in the laser cutter to cut out the lid and holes. For my last technique, I attempted to vacuum form to create the base of the feeder. The base was created in Fusion and 3D printed to get the model, and then vacuum formed the model to create the base of the feeder.  








   



















Result:

    This project was a lot harder to fabricate then the last few projects. While the flowers are lid were easy enough once they were designed in fusion (as all they needed to do was be printed), constructing the base was extremely difficult. It was really hard to use the vacuum form because the model kept getting stuck and was hard to get out of the vacuum form. It was also really hard to create the rail or perch using metal wire. It was just not easy to manipulate and there was no way to fuse the perch to the feeder. Despite the perch not working out, I'm really proud of the way this project turned out and think it turned out pretty nice. 











Reflection: 

    This was probably my most favorite project as it forced me out of my creative comfort zone and I got to work with a lot of fun techniques that I otherwise, never would have used or learned how to use. Throughout the semester, Fusion challenged my patience, but I am super proud of the work I accomplished and how all of my projects turned out. I'm really excited to be able to put all of my projects to good use and always have great memoires of my time in the makers space. 












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lizzie Edwards Project 2: Laser Cutter

Image
Process Using Fusion 360, I started creating my box based on a paint brush holder that I found online. I decided to use simple dimensions for my box so I wouldn't take too long in Fusion. Creating the box was pretty easy, but then I needed to add the holes for the brushes which was the most difficult part. With some help in class, I was able to create the holes and extrude that side of the box without failure. Once my drawing was done, I was able to move over my sketches to Adobe Illustrator to print them out. I got help doing this part so it went pretty smoothly. I loosely fit all my pieces together to make sure it worked. Then I had to decide on an image to put on the side of the box. For this I kept it simple and chose some paint brushes so people know what it is for. Once I uploaded the image to Illustrator, I used the machine to etch the photo on my box. First we did a test run to make sure the photo and settings would create a good image. When I was done with this, I glued my...
Read more

Introducing Katherine Behrens

Image
Introduction  Hello! My name is Katherine Behrens, but you can call me Kate. I am a psychology and political science double major. I am also a captain of the women's volleyball club here at Trinity! I was born and raised in Denton, Texas, but traveled frequently with my parents to San Antonio when I was younger and knew it would be a perfect fit for me. Just far enough from home but close enough to visit on long weekends. I'm looking forward to graduating in May where I hope to continue my academic studies in foreign relations and national security.  Trinity University Women's Club Volleyball Team Interests  I have been playing volleyball for at least ten years now. I have played throughout high school on both my school team and in club sports, and have been grateful to continue to play competitively in college club. I also love to travel! I have participated in two study abroad programs though Trinity. The first of which was the International Criminal Justice program wit...
Read more

Introducing Dr. Wilson Terrell Jr. (Dr. T.)

Image
  Introduction   My name is Dr. Wilson Terrell Jr., and I'm the Associate Provost - started this position in June 2022. In addition, I'm an Associate Professor of Engineering Science in the D. R. Semmes School of Science - started at Trinity in 2003. I graduated with a B.S., M.S., and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Fighting Illini - home of the best deep dish pizza Papa Dels). Interests I have always love "making" since getting my first Lego set. While in high school, my favorite classes were math, physics, and chemistry. My physics teacher encouraged me to attend a summer engineering program at the University of Illinois, which helped me to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Here at Trinity, I primarily teach upper division mechanical engineering type courses and labs, and freshmen engineering design. This is the second time I have taught this course, when it was a pilot called ENGR 2191, Special Topics ...
Read more