Manufacturing

In the Spray booth...

Once my design had been manufactured using the Rapid Prototype Fused Deposition Modelling Process it was time to start making it look like a valid product.

The first step was to sand using wet and dry paper. The FDM process builds the molten plastic up in layers causing ridges so sanding required a lot of patience, I worked my way through the grains to create a smooth finish.

Once the finish was of a high standard I sprayed both parts with the plastic primer. I then sprayed both parts with the pressure-pot primer.

 The pressure-pot primer needed to be sanded between layers to remove any excess. By mistake I also sanded away the plastic primer, so it was back to the spray booth to reapply the plastic primer.

 Once I had achieved a smooth finish, building up the primer I was ready for applying my final coat of spray paint.

 I found spraying quite difficult due to the intricate shape, especially the lid which had a deep inlay.

Assembling Parts...

I checked that the USB fitted and the hole lined up with the hole in the body.

Initially I designed my logo and detailing to be printed onto sticky back plastic but I discovered I was unable to print onto this in white. Instead I opted to draw my design in Corel Draw and used the Vinyl Cutter. I used transfer paper to create an accurate finish (as shown above)

I had to remove the frequency line from the logo as this was too intricate for the vinyl cutter.

The next step was to maunfacture and insert the peg that holds the USB stick in place. I decided to make this from clear acrylic in the hope that the LED on the circuit would show through when it lights up when plugged into the computer.

I also used a small 2mm nylon screw to attach the hinge pin.

I checked that my product functioned, my USB works and lights up when inserted into the USB port!