Colorful rubber connectors making

I used this mould to make more connectors, buy this time I colored the rubber liquid.

This kind of soft rubber is for transparent shells. This plan is still in experiment stage, not into product plan yet.

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Product making process record 1

Using metal shell and 3D vacuum heat print color the surface is my plan for the first product in this stage.

The results shows nice color and patterns, but as I expected, the pattern was nicer than colors. The heat print weakened the color, so I should make the color deeper in software. Another problem was, I have to solder the back pin first then bake the white color, but when doing 3D heat print, the pin was on the way, so the shells with pin could not get printed.

These metal shells were made from brass, I used dooming block to shape them, and soldering tubes inside to connect two half sphere shells. I’ve mentioned these process in my old blogs before.

Last week, I tested digi spread, baked metal pieces into white color. Here I used the same way to spread and baked these pieces in the oven.

Then I filed the edge and polished inside of these shells. I made a wood mould for stabilizing the shells, which is for the 3D vacuum print. Printing on the vacuum paper actually was tried twice, because in the first time, the paper were printed out very fast which is unusual and looks weird.

Drawing patterns for 3D vacuum print colors(Pictaflex)

I drew this one on a paint board attached with a textile fabric. The colors I chose are all color palette from lizard skin I researched on. I drew this pattern and re-painted it in software, showing different results.

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I drew these on the paint board with acrylic colors, and also re-painted in software.

Test pieces recently made: Digi spread; Titanium and aluminum press forming failure; resin casting

This blog is mainly a record for making process and some failed test pieces.

The digital spread is a preparation for heat print afterwards(Pictaflex machine).

Press forming the aluminum sheet and titanium sheet were failed, reason were aluminum has bad ductility so it couldn’t be formed into a half sphere; titanium is too hard to be press formed, plus I dont have any thinner Ti now. Consider about time table, I’d better do this experiment later.

I made moulds with 3D printed wax pieces, casting into resin shells. They  were bigger and thicker size than before, because I thought it might make the resin more clear and well done, but it worked not really good.

This is a record of  product making process.

Methods experiments: Using 3D print, handmade and universal milling machine to make connectors

The shape and length of the inside connectors were adjusted with different shells. Because of the higher request of the size of them(they have to fit the shell accurately), I experimented on several methods to make them.

Wax carving is not accurate especially the sphere part, so I used sphere shape product to combine the shape and making moulds, it worked not good.

Then I used 3D print to make even and perfect half sphere shells and make mould with silica gel, then casting them into resin. this part works not bad, but considering of the heat print colors afterwards, I need to make more of them into white colors.

I thought about making them into clear resin and put a piece of pattern printed paper inside, to show the color, I will try this way with the universal milling machine mould I made(because it is half-and-half).

Another way I used is universal milling machine. I used the machine to cut the regular half sphere on acrylic board, making them a mould for casting resin and silica gel. The experiment showed that this mould is better for making silica gel connectors.

Making patterns for heat print—-Try a graphic result

According to my experiment, making this connectors with resin, then do 3D heat print color on it would show a comparative nice result. So I designed several patterns for printing by painting and software.

These pics are my trying on print these patterns on different size.

Translate lizard foot skins on carved wax and color exploring

In last stage, I carved wax and using silica gel to translate lizard skin, and colored them afterwards.

Based on my research on lizard foot textures and more exploration of colors, I carved another pieces of wax to translate skins. Differ from last time, I added dry color powder into liquid silica gel and colored them into another visual results.

Compared with last time, I prefer this result.

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Innovative Wearability Brainstorm—where can you wear a cube?

Yesterday, we had a workshop to explore wearability.

We worked as pairs, each group have ten cubes, figuring out ten ways of wearing the cube. Only one piece of other materials could be attached.

We took one and a half hours to make, and show everyone our wearing ways.

As a result we could see many interesting wearings, and thinking about where, how and is that looks good of different wearabilities.

Research on Lizard foot and my reflection sketches

About lizard, I noticed another interesting spot, which is lizard foot.

Lizard foot have different texture from other part of its body, and the texture have an obvious stripe pattern. According to this, I drew some sketches, applying this texture into my project.

Structure & translating surface samples

These samples are results of  3D printed clear resin combined with silica gel casting surface.

I used the carved metal piece as mould, and put silica gel on it, got a result of casting translated surface. I attached this silica surface on the 3D print shells and colored them,  got a result like this purple&yellow one.