~2021~
Skills:
- 3D Printing-
- 3D Modeling -
- Laser Cutting -
- Painting -
- Basic Circuits -
- Arduino-
Disney’s iconic It's a Small World is one of my mother’s favorite rides at Disney. For Christmas 2021, I made the ride’s memorable front entrance. This project came about after a year of working with complex SolidWorks assemblies at my job, so I felt comfortable modeling and creating everything from the ground up.
I first started the project with the most labor intensive and timely part, the CAD model. I spent a while between school and work responsibilities making a full model in SolidWorks of each component. I made sure when mated together there was correct movement for all parts to honor the ride. Each component was also designed to keep their manufacturing process in mind. For example, I knew I wanted to laser cut a lot of this project, so I made sure that parts were made using correct widths of plastic to stack and give me the shapes and layers I wanted.
Physically making this project wasn’t too labor intensive, as I made it mostly out of laser cut and 3D printed parts. The assembly came with a few hiccups, and I learned how to maintain a high level of organization with small parts. After assembly, I painted the structure to look like ride in Anaheim, CA, then moved onto the electronics.
The electronics consisted of 8 servo motors, 2 step motors, and a speaker all controlled by an Arduino. This allowed for the doors to open, the big turntable like rings to rotate, and the original music to play.
Future Plans:
I unfornuatly was unable to finish the project in time for Christmas due to school. I finished everything apart from the characters that exit and enter the castle. I am currently working on those additions for Mother’s Day (don’t tell her). I have found that SolidWorks is not the best for this application, so I have began learning Maya in my free time. I will update the site as I continue to make progress.
First assembly, pre paint
First assembly, post paint
Isometric Model View
Isometric Model View
Front Model View
Bottom Model View
Back Model View
