Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
For my final project, I partnered up with Tailyn in attempts of finding a way to reuse water. When watering plants there is a dish under it that catches the extra water, that is later wasted. We connected a pot, containing a plant, to a filter. The water is filtered from the soil, and the filtered water flows into a jar, so it can later be reused. To do this, we 3D printed a pot using Inventor. We also 3D printed an insert to connect the pot to the plastic bottle. Then we made a filter using sand, rocks, and a table cloth. We placed the pot, insert, and filter in a jar for the water to flow into. The water collected in this jar can be recycled, and used to put back in the plant or to drink.
Sketch
First, I made a sketch of all of the pieces for the project. I drew the parts, and what I would use to make them.
Inventor (Pot)
To start building my project, I made a pot in Inventor. I used the circular tool and extruded it. Then I sketched another circle on top to make a hole in the pot. At the bottom of the pot I sketched and extruded a hole for the water to flow through.
Makerbot (Pot)
I transferred the file of the pot from Inventor to Makerbot. In Makerbot, I added a raft and changed the size from 100% to 1000%. I previewed the print, and put it on a flash drive.
3D Print (Pot)
I plugged the flash drive into the 3D printer, chose my file, and pressed print. The print took about 9 hours. After it was done, I took the raft off and moved on to the next part of my project.
Inventor (Pot Insert)
The next part of my project, was the insert. I created it in Inventor to be 3D printed. I made a circular hole, the same size as the pot, for the water to flow through. I created a 1/8 inch edge so it would stay on top of the bottle, and not fall into it.
Makerbot (Pot Insert)
I transferred the file to Makerbot, added a raft, changed the size, previewed it, and put it on a flash drive.
3D Print (Pot Insert)
I placed the flash drive into the 3D printer, chose the file, and pressed print. When I first printed the insert, it didn't print flat (as seen in the first two pictures). This was due to the printer and the raft. I went back to Makerbot and took out the raft. I re-printed the insert using a different 3D printer, and it printed flat.
Pot Connected to Insert
After both of the 3D prints were finished, I connected them using super glue, making sure the holes lined up.
Illustrator (Pot)
To make the vinyl for the pot, Tailyn and I chose an image off of the internet to use in Illustrator. We saved the image, and opened it up in Illustrator. Then, we enhanced the image, and traced it. We saved the file, and opened it up on the vinyl cutter. We placed the gold roll in the vinyl cutter, and cut out the image.
Vinyl Cut (Pot)
Using a dental tool, I took away the excess vinyl, and applied application tape to the vinyl. I applied the vinyl to the pot using application tape and a squeegee.
Testing the Filter
Next, we tested the filter before we connected it to the rest of the project. We put a cloth at the bottom of the bottle with a rubber band, put in two layers of sand, and a layer of rocks. Then we put water in the bottle to make sure water could flow through the filter.
Making the Filter & Connecting the Filter (Bottle)
After we tested the filter, we put the insert in the bottle, so the pot and bottle would be connected.
Next, we took the top off of a peanut butter jar, and cut off the screw part of the jar. We placed the bottle in the jar, so we would be able to remove the jar later to reuse the water.
Illustrator (Jar)
To decorate the jar, we took the recycle symbol and put it in Illustrator to be later be cut. After opening the image in Illustrator, we expanded the image and traced it.
Vinyl Cut (Jar)
Next, we took the file into the lab to be cut out by the vinyl cutter. After choosing matte black, we cut it out. Using dental tools, squeegees, and application tape the recycle symbol was placed on the jar.
Final Product
After the symbol was put on the jar, all of the pieces were put together. Finally, we planted flowers in the pots.
What I Learned.
Throughout the making of my final project, I learned many new skills. When I printed the insert for the first time, it didn't print flat and wasn't smooth. To fix this, I used a different 3D printer and didn't print the insert with a raft. Since the insert was very rough, I used an orbital sander to make it smooth. I also learned how to make a filter using rocks, sand, and a table cloth. I learned to take trash and recycle it to make something new and useful. Altogether, I learned how to use an orbital sander, to 3D print without a raft, and how to problem solve.