Cube² is made with aluminum,
engineered with industrial machines,
and designed with process in mind.
Designed and made for RISD ID Metals II class.
Spring 2013.
Cube² is a concept first generated on solidworks. The project was to be completed with
the use of a bridgeport machine as well as a metal lathe.
The first step to making Cube ² was to make a cube, which was a remarkably hard and long process. Since the bridgeport can take off as little as 0.001inch off the aluminum, I was able to make the cube to dimensions which were +/- 0.01 off.
Time elapsed since start: 16 hours.
Measuring and checking for 90° on the sides of the cube.
Marking the cube with ink and locating the center.
I punched the centers and then centered the cube onto the bridgeport using a centering needle.
I used the center drill on the bridgeport to drill the centers of three sides of the cube.
This step was needed in order for me to be able to locate the center of the cube once I put it on the lathe.
Time Elapsed: 22 hours.
I made four protective pieces out of aluminum and attached them to the sides of my cube. The purpose of this is to make sure that the sides weren't damaged by the jaws of the lathe.
To center the cube on the metal lathe, I used a dial indicator, which I attached to the bed of the lathe. Because I had a square piece, I had to use a 4-Jaw chuck, which is harder to center than a 3-Jaw,
but much more accurate. The jaws moved the piece left, right, up and down. While I was centering the piece, I had to make sure that I was tightening/loosening things half as much as to compensate for the opposite side.
Time Elapsed: 26 hours.
Time taken to center one side of the piece: 2 1/2 hours.
After centering the piece, I drilled a through hole on the face of the cube. I made sure to use smaller drill bits first to take out materials as slowly as possible. When I used the large drill bits, I used the lowest speed on the lathe. Drilling one hole took around 1.5 to 2 hours.
Time Elapsed: 28 hours.
Next, while the piece was still centered, I used a boring tool to bore 0.25in into the face of the cube.
When two of the larger circles meet on adjacent sides, a small semi-circular hole is created.
I repeat this step six times to achieve the double square illusion.
Time Elapsed: 30 hours.
The whole process is repeated on the rest of the cube.
Three through-holes are drilled. Every side was centered and bored.
Time it took to complete all operations: 30 hours
Time elapsed: 60 hours.
After all six sides were drilled and bored, I took the piece off the lathe and hand filed the edges.
I also used WD40 to wipe of any of the blue ink that was leftover.
Total Time Elapsed: 62 hours.
