Milling Limitations

Dot

The world's smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a Nokia N8:

Robot Arm Following a Path

Steven's Component

I have received a few emails requesting an example of a possible component, so I have created the first iteration of a component prototype to show you.

These are the first attempts to transform my idea into a component in Rhino:

These were the next attempts to refine the component in Rhino:

This was the first prototype fabricated using the CNC Mill.
Note the distance between cutting lines was too large, resulting in a rough edge:

This was the second prototype, milled with curved cutting paths.
The mill cut the outline first, so the piece moved when it tried to cut the hole:

These next 5 components were milled with similar settings to the first prototype,
but with a finer distance between the cutting paths:

These 10 prototypes were milled using curved cutting paths,
but this time they were attached to the board with tabs:

This is not the end of the process! The prototypes are tested:

As you can see, the prototype doesn't allow as much rotation as I anticipated from the Rhino model, and the pieces don't fit perfectly together. At this stage, I would go back to Rhino, alter the design and fabricate a few more prototypes.

Finally, when the prototype works well, it would be used to cast a silicon mould and the components cast in plaster or resin from the mould.