Automatic Bubble Turret Project (One Day Challenge)

thingiverse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzvsCiyBClc Hello! As part of the one-day Project challenge, I created a device that can blow bubbles using only a handle and a balloon. I had lots of fun working on this project, but it also gave me more trouble than I'd like to admit. I'm a 16-year-old student from Israel who plays for the local robotics FRC team as head CAD department. Time spent designing and tinkering: 4 hours Time spent printing: 11 hours (with a few tries) Clean-up and video making: 2 hours Have a nice day! Print Settings Printer Brand: Printrbot Printer: Simple Black Supports: Yes Resolution: 1.2mm was just enough Infill: About 15% should be enough Post-Printing Supports This print has very little support, and no real cleanup is needed for them. Middle rod My printer tends to be unreliable, so I gave my design some breathing room to fit your printer. To make it work, you can wrap each end of the rod in duct tape until it fits just right. I used an 8mm wooden oak rod. If you're printing this rod instead of using one, print it lying down for a tougher and stronger result. Tub If your printer is like mine or mis-calibrated, you can use a simple plastic bag to go inside the tub itself. I left plenty of space for that sort of tinkering. How I Designed This I used Inventor 2016 to design this, making three normal parts and connecting them together in an assembly. I then tinkered with each part until I got it right. Custom Section Project BBT Project Name: "Balloon Bubble Turret" Overview & Background: It's time to take bubble wands to the next level! Objectives: Basic Engineering, tension between objects, and working with air pressure. Audiences: This project is great for anyone in 9th to 12th grade. Even though I'm head of the CAD department at our local school FRC team, I think anyone with basic knowledge can invent and make their own design with a little more time than just a day. Subjects: Basic Engineering. Skills Learned (Standards): Creative thinking. There are many ways to make a bubble turret! While thinking of this project, I had many ideas in mind with features I've lost and added new ones! Lesson/Activity: Now you can give this to a student and tell them "do that," but personally, I think giving them a free hand on this idea might be the best thing. There are endless ways to complete this task. Students get tasks all the time that tell them to do something specific, and very rarely do they get a task that makes them explore new horizons and try to think for themselves. Duration: For me, it took 3-4 hours to design top to bottom. For a new student starting from scratch, I guess it would take about 2-3 days of easy and relaxing work, giving them more time to think. When I started, I had one idea in mind and developed it while working. New students might have a little problem with that sort of thing. Preparation: A 3D printer or woodworking shop would be a good start but not necessary. If you're working with Inventor or other programs, they need to know how to work with more than one object and think outside the box! This task could be really easy or challenging, depending on the student. And of course, a handful of rubber balloons and bubbly goodness! References: none. Rubric & Assessment: The general idea I liked is to give them the name "Air powered bubble machine" and telling them to be creative and go from there. The design I went with is pretty basic. Another way of doing this project is having a fixed handle turning an ellipse with another fixed hinge below it, with the right side (with some weight to it) dipping into the bubbly goodness and coming out as the left side can block the balloon with a "V" shape when it's not in use. Have a nice day!