Overall, I really enjoyed this class as it was a mix of technical challenges and creative expression.  Working through the various steps of the project and documenting them as I went along helped me to understand my project better, and the feedback from my peers in the class encouraged me to make my final project…

For my final project, I created a tap handle that emulates a lava lamp.  For this class, I wanted to create something that was technically challenging and a well-put together creative design. With this project, I do feel like I captured the aesthetic I was going for, recreating the groovy, mellow aesthetic that a real…

Unfortunately, I was unable to create a silicone mold for the body of my handle, as the FormLabs printers in the Idea Forge were all out of order when I went to get my mold positive printed.  However, I did have some transparent PETG – a 3D printer filament that is stronger than typical PLA…

For my final project, I made a lava lamp beer tap handle.  My inspiration came from a few different places: my personal hobbies, my experience, and my desire to learn new skills within this project. For my personal hobbies, I started a 3D printing business back in August, so I wanted to utilize my design…

My major aesthetic for my project is the hippie/groovy aesthetic that was popular in the 60s and 70s, as my project is based around a lava lamp as its central design. The aesthetic incorporates fluid shapes with bright vivid colors. The lighting will be changing constantly as I program it in an attempt to simulate…

For my final project, I have been working to create a beer tap handle that will incorporate a dynamic lighting effect. To achieve this lighting effect, I have purchased an Adafruit Neopixel ring and an Adafruit trinket Arduino microcontroller to control the lighting effect. Adafruit Neopixel LED ring – includes 12 RGB LEDs within a…

For my project, I am looking to make a beer tap handle potentially with some dynamic lighting effects to it. This is not something that is common, and will involve a lot of pieces I need to consider in order to make a successful product. My first constraint that I want to consider is the…

For my main project I am planning on designing a beer tap handle that has some dynamic lighting functionality to it. Recently at my internship I worked on a project where I was tasked to prototype various methods of producing a lighting effect for a surgical device. One method that didn’t work perfectly for the…

Since beginning my undergraduate education, I’ve built many of the typical “engineering” skills that most mechanical engineering students have, from CAD modeling to 3D printing to coding and electronics. Outside of the classroom, I’ve taken some classes and built skills in entrepreneurship and marketing, which I hope will help me towards my ideal career path.…

Though this upcycle project wasn’t intended to create something functional, I wanted to use it as a challenge to apply an aesthetic to what I want to create for my final project in this class, a beer tap handle. Initially, I was inspired by some posts I’ve seen online of people using their failed 3D…