welding – ARC Design Hub

November 23, 2018November 9, 2018

New Ways to Laser Engrave!

The laser engraver in the ARC Design Hub can be a learning process to new interns. During the first couple weeks at the design hub we train and teach our interns how to use and/ or the purposes the laser can do for us. We are still new to laser but we always will find new tactics on how we should operate the laser. Either finding the right settings or experimenting on pieces of scrap materials to see how it will turn out.

What does the laser engraver used for in the ARC Design Hub? What can we make with the laser we have?

Here in the Design Hub we currently are using two laser engravers in the back of room 311. The laser Engraver is used for ton of projects for our clients and personal uses. Designers here at the Design Hub create wonderful projects to help support the hub with their creativity. Just like the Retopo Map blog we did awhile ago, they used the laser for that project. Interns are able to used the laser for personal projects to create unique types of physical merchandise.

What types of merchandise or products can you use to make stuff here in the Hub?

The types you can make in the laser engraver is the following: Sketch book covers, key chains, ornaments, etc.

Let your creativity wonder around the ideas of creating wonderful types of pieces out of any materials like wood and plastic.

Although, It can also be used for educational purposes like making flash cards out of plastic or making pieces for a game board for and educational game.

How does the laser function and how can you get a decent design without it melting or making the design look weird?

Muhannad Abbas, who is very well experienced and excellent with the laser made these templates out of wood and plastic.

The templates shows how the laser reacts to the type of material it touches depending on the shading of the grey is being used.

Too much power on the laser with a really dark color may burn the wood or melt the plastic. With the used of this template the designers are able to understand how the laser works and how much they need to make their projects a success.

How can people outside of the Design Hub apply or request stuff to get printed?

On the ARC Design Hub Website we have a work request area. This area your able to request projects that our interns can print out for you. Their are examples and a request form to get started!

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018

Beautiful U.N.I.T.E. Masterpiece!

A beautiful masterpiece!

Allen Peterson and U.N.I.T.E. was involve with a certain project. In this particular project, He used the plasma cutter to cut out aluminum shapes to create a unique design made by the Landscape Architecture Class. The Aluminum shapes is a “mock up” of a plan that the Landscape Architecture Class constructed for a future project.

The little metal sculpture will someday be built like posts or fenced around a building. The square bottom part will acted as a fence and the top parts with magnificent design, like birds and trees. It will act to give it a unique design to help make the area it was located in very attractive!

This beautiful piece was created approx. 3 hours in only one day!

Design Hub’s participation to this project supports the architecture students creativity. The Architecture class needed a miniature variant of the final project to be able to test out the original idea. In a way, They can predict upcoming obstacles or arrangements that may arise in the future.

From a photograph, Allen was able to set it up on a plasma cutter.

Future developments from this project is a metal trophy of a break-dancer for the winner of the Break Dancer Competition for U.N.I.T.E.

Further development from American River College tree logo on April 24 that Allen made.

This project has traveled to a few locations-

Design Hub to the welding location , then back to Design Hub and then off to be displayed at the Architecture Class.

April 30, 2018September 11, 2018

Dieselzilla

A project currently in progress in the Design Hub of American River College is called the “Dieselzilla vs. Drones” Project. We start with interns Kevin and Sean, who are collaborating along with James Mullerleile on this project in the Design Hub. Kevin is the programmer, and Sean is the 3D Designer behind this project. When we first hear the word, “Dieselzilla,” of course we are left wondering “what in the world is this, and what does it do?”

Well, Dieselzilla is the huge metal sculpture in the front of the Student Services and Cafeteria area (the huge glass building behind the American River College Library).

Every day on the way to class, students who walk past it are seen doing double takes. Most can’t take their eyes off of it- as mesmerizing as a well-crafted, fantastically massive Godzilla sculpture can be. Most students on campus pass Dieselzilla every day and have no clue as to how or why it got there. Even our photography intern, Angelique, told us “Ever since I started attending, I wondered what it was and why it was there- and now I had the chance to find out,” before she captured some pictures of the magnificent metal beast.

Parts of Dieselzilla. Photo by photography intern Angelique Doty

The Design Hub interns discussed the structure of the sculpture. It actually moves around with the use of a hydraulic system within the Dieselzilla! To the right, we can take a look at what goes inside of the massive metal body.

These are the parts that were designed and put together by our interns, and this is what makes the magic happen. With everything in place, Dieselzilla comes to life!

This is a very cool, collaborative project, as well as an impressive and intriguing presence everyday on our campus.

March 14, 2018September 11, 2018

Welding Vacuum Chambers

Design Hub student Shayn found inspiration in his teacher’s words: “You just gotta do it!” Quoted from none other than the welding professor here at ARC, Chris Messier. “When he’s not teaching his students all he knows, he’s creating vacuum chambers with gloved hands and sheet metal. He is pictured giving an example of the TIG- or GTAW- welding process, something that is proven to be a pretty tricky task. Shayn tells us that he is taking his fabrication and blueprints reading class in the welding department at ARC. As Shayn explains this process, he gives us a piece of welding slang: “stacking dimes”, which is the process of getting the weld to look like dimes that have been melted on top of each other. “It’s actually the sign of a job well done,” Says Shayn. Seeing students inspired by their professors is always a great thing to see. Teachers leave not only an impression on the students, but on the campus community of makers, including those here at the Design Hub. Thank you Chris Messier for all that you do, and thanks to Shayn for sharing! More of Professor Messier’s work can be found on his instagram page: @mez_welds

March 6, 2018September 11, 2018

Sparks are Flying at ARC’s Design Hub

Thanks to the welding department, Allen Peterson III, one of our amazing Mechanical Engineer students with a background in welding, has been working on the Sign Production Project.

Allen holding the sign for the ARC Solar Dept. Photo by photography intern Kyle Chan.

Using the Plasma CNC Cutter, he has been creating signs on Stainless steel sheet metal for use around campus to allow students to better recognize the locations/identify different departments. How the signs will be displayed is still to be determined, but they will soon be seen on the doors, walls or displays around campus very soon.

We took a closer look into the process of making these signs. Needless to say, there are a lot of steps and close attention to detail that is involved. First, our intern Allen has to align the Plasma Cutter with the sheet of metal through coordinates on the computer. After aligning the Cutter, a font must be picked and placed within the coordinates to determine where they will be cut on the metal.

Then comes the fun part. As the metal is being cut, a spectacle of sparks light up the workspace. It is something hypnotic to behold, as the image is slowly made visible through the spark showers of the plasma cutter.

Plasma cutter in action. Photo by intern Kyle Chan

After the metal is cut, Allen used a grinder to create the nice finish that we see on the sign. The new, eye-catching difference in the texture of the metal is something worth marveling at.

The departments that have had signs made for them include our Physics, Engineering, Solar, Early Child Development, Chemistry, Biology, and Design Tech departments. The goal is to have easily recognizable campus departments, while at the same time beautifying our school. At the Design Hub, we are eager to help make our campus a better place. We utilize our student’s talents so they can be the force that helps benefit our campus life, and we can be the force that helps them gain the experience using this incredible machinery to eventually enter the workforce.