About Inventor
In class we use Inventor to design our widgets. Inventor is a 3D animation program that creates complex designs. These designs can be transferred into a 3D printing machine to then print.
Widget Sketches
Before making the widgets in Inventor, I first sketched out the widgets to see what the final product would look like.
Designed Widgets in Inventor
These are my widgets that I created in Inventor.
Step By Step To Making A Widget
I first began by creating a square that is 1 inch by 1 inch by using the dimensional tool to get the exact measurement on all sides. Then I extruded the square by 1 inch to get a cube.
Then I viewed the square from the side and made a rectangle. The rectangle measured from the side of the square 0.625 inches and 0.75 inches high, but made sure there was a 0.25 inch base. After the rectangle is selected, I then cut the rectangle out.
The next step is to make another rectangle in the the middle of the thicker side. To do this I began by measuring 0.25 inches from both sides, and then created a rectangle in between the 0.25 inches on both sides. The inner rectangle measures 0.50 inches wide and 0.75 inches high. After I made the rectangle I cut out 0.125 inches from that shape.
Then I cut off two triangle shaped at the ends of the base of the square in the corners. I did this by using the line tool and measuring o.25 inches to form the sides of a triangle.
After cutting the corners off, I made a square in the center of the base that is 0.25 inches by 0.25 inches. Then I cut out the square.
This is my completed widget.
3-D Printing
Before I can 3-D print I have to export my widget in to MakerBot to prepare to 3-D print.
After I prepared the widget on MakerBot, I put in the information into the 3-D printer. Then I began to print my widget.
Final Product
This is my finished widget product.
Conclusion
During this project I have learned how to construct widgets in Inventor by following certain steps and creating files. I have also learned how to use what I have built and set it up in a 3D printer to be printed.