CNC puzzle
(Click thumbnail above to see larger image.)
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Assignment for DAI460 (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing Systems), Fall 2008. The objective was to design and manufacture a three-dimensional puzzle with various configurations, employing only a single part to reproduced multiple times via CNC manufacturing. Some quick concepts were sketched:
SolidWorks assemblies were generated of two of the sketch concepts:
One inherent limitation of CNC routing is the inability to make distinct internal corners; instead, a fillet results at all internal corners, the radius being determined by the diameter of router bit used. The second SolidWorks assembly shown above takes that into account; all edges on individual parts are filleted with a 0.25″ radius (with some fillets to be created by a 0.5″ router bit during CNC operations, and others added via manual secondary finishing using a table router with a round-over bit with a 0.25″ radius), allowing for snug joints. A partial physical model was made out of foamcore to test for fit:
The final product can be seen above, and the Flickr set of the various assembly configurations can be found here.