Clement Lee ATCM 3355: Week 8 Flashlight

Clement Lee Fall 2023 Flashlight      

Concept

The idea for this project was because I wanted to make the flashlight have an industrial appeal; I love the mechanical feel of the structure, and the spiral gear is the main source of inspiration for the base of the flashlight.

Processes

first, I used the flashlight template file to start. I wanted to know why gears are the shape they are before attempting an industrial themed flashlight. There was a video about the design of an involute gear and showing how the profiles were made, and I decided that for all intents and purposes the involute was just a spiral, and used the "Spiral" command to make the profile. I used "ArrayPolar" and "Mirror" to get The spirals where I wanted, then used "EdgeSrf" to turn the profile into a plane. Then I extruded it up and used "Twist" for a more interesting look. originally, there was supposed to be two mirrors on the sides, akin to a submarine or rocket window, but I realized that might not be possible to print since technically having a circle jutting out is 90 degrees. I then decided to undo that and have it poke upwards so that it would be possible to print something, and this move turned out to be a good decision because the branches made it look more pipey and industrial, and made it possible to activate the switch as if you were using a syringe. 

Materials

I modeled it specifically to be 3D printed, so I used the plastic material because my flashlight is kind of like a toy.  

some of the top ornaments are frustums so that it cannot be considered a weapon. so kids don't need to worry, it has sharp parts but they do not hurt.