Page 43 - 2021 CNC West April-May

One of Helgeson’s favorite projects is a children’s rocking chair that can be dissembled for transportation. The biggest obstacle for the team was perfecting the tight fits in the chair’s interlocking joints, a vital part of the process if the chair was to be disassembled and reassembled smoothly. Helgeson originally obtained the basic plans for the rocking chairs from a local woodworking supplier and challenged a couple of students to figure out how to convert them to a CNC project. The young men laid out the plans on cardboard, took all the measurements, and transferred the data to the CAD/CAM software.
and to experiment creatively, while also strengthening students’ math, english, science, direction-following, and trial and error skills.
To illustrate his point, Helgeson uses Wireframe drafting as an example. The intuitive interface simplifies the overwhelmingly powerful software so that any novice can learn quickly. Hegelson’s students practice dimensioning and designing within the Wireframe for a good portion of their time at New Bridge. “We use it in a very traditional drafting format. We teach them where the tools are, what they do, how to use them. We ask them to get things to connect up, and to model what we show them.” He first teaches his students to use the lettering feature to label components within their model to keep track of their progress and different sections. As they progress, Helgeson introduces the Level feature to overlay different models or to import artwork that his students can trace. Later, he invites them to call on that knowledge to design their own logos and signs. The most valuable feature, though, is the built-in simulation. The Backplot and Verify functions simulate the entire machining environment: the tool, the tool holder, and the stock material. When using this modeling, Helgeson’s students are free to program to the extent of their creativity, finding
out where their limits lie without ever damaging material. “What really engages them is the opportunity to cut out a project on the CNC machine that they’ve designed all by themselves, and especially to teach that process to their peers. They don’t need to sit still and be lectured all day; they need to create with their own hands,” said Helgeson. One of his favorite projects is a children’s rocking chair that can be dissembled for transportation. He explained, “You can pull a pin in the back and take it all apart, and then putting it back together is a kind of
puzzle.”
He originally obtained the basic plans from a local
woodworking supplier and challenged a couple of students to figure out how to convert them to a CNC project. The young men laid out the plans on cardboard, took all the measurements, and transferred the data to the CAD/CAM software. “They went from design to creation to product improvement in two weeks,” he recalled. “The first iteration had a few glitches, but by the third, they had a complete product that they wanted to keep improving eventhen.”Thebiggestobstaclefortheteamwasperfecting the tight fits in the chair’s interlocking joints, a vital part of the process if the chair was to be disassembled and reassembled smoothly. Helgeson was especially grateful
The Manufacturing Technology Lab’s Laguna Swift gantry style CNC router is where students cut out the pieces for their woodworking projects. “What really engages them is the opportunity to cut out a project on the CNC machine that they’ve designed all by themselves, and especially to teach that process to their peers. They don’t need to sit still and be lectured all day; they need to create with their own hands,” said Helgeson.
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