Introduction

In our 8th session, we will finish our introduction to silicone moulds by creating an epoxy resin cast in the mould you created last class. We will focus on best practices and safety as we create an epoxy ring based on your custom 3D Design & 3D printed ring.

Next, we will dive into the world of interconnected devices and sensors. Through one or two hands-on activities, you’ll learn how to bring everyday objects to life, transforming them into devices that can take local input and trigger events on the internet, or monitor the internet, and make something happen locally.

Learning Objectives – Epoxy Casting

  • Describe what epoxy resin is, its properties, and some of its applications
  • Demonstrate essential safety procedures when working with epoxy resin
  • Explain the importance of accurate resin-to-hardener ratios
  • Demonstrate techniques to eliminate air bubbles after pouring resin
  • Explore various methods of adding pigments, dyes, and other additives
  • Demonstrate proper demolding techniques to avoid damaging the resin or the mould, and explore finishing options such as sanding and sealing

Learning Objectives – Internet of Things

  • Be aware of a range of use cases for Adafruit Feather Huzzah IOT devices
  • Be able to configure a computer for IoT development
  • Use web services like Adafruit IO and IFTTT to quickly web-enable IoT projects
  • Use an IoT device to send information to web services to act on the web
  • Use web services to send information to an IoT device to perform a local action

Pre-class Activities (15 min)

Please prepare for our hands-on in-class activities by watching the following video and reading the article below:

  • This video shows us how to make a Silicone Ring Mold and then pour the epoxy resin into the mould. We will be already covering silicone moulding techniques last class, so you only need to watch the last 4-minutes of the video this week (starting at the 2-minute mark):
(4 min)

Class Time (30 min)

Topic 8 Lecture slides

  • Any questions or ideas from our moulding class?
  • Review tips and tricks for epoxy resin pouring
  • IoT device introduction & potential use cases
  • Q&A

Hands-on Lab Time – Epoxy Casting (60 min)

Work through the last two pages of the DSC Making Silicone Moulds & Epoxy Resing Pouring guide to make an epoxy version of your custom ring design.

NOTE: Just a reminder to please make sure to wear the provided safety equipment when working with the epoxy resin chemicals:

  • Work in a well-ventilated space
  • Use safety glasses
  • Wear latex gloves
  • Wear an N95 mask once the lids on the chemicals have been opened

Hands-on Lab Time – Internet of Things (IoT) (60 min)

  1. Set up the necessary drivers on your computer. Please note that this is the part of the workshop that most people struggle with as you need to install all the drivers, in the order outline or else they will not work properly: Driver Setup Instructions
  2. Complete the introductory Light Sensors IoT Activity to make sure all the drivers you installed are working properly.
  3. Choose from one of the other IoT activities (except for the Weasley Whereabouts Clock) to round out your IoT experience today.

Critical Reflection (20 min)

  1. Blog about the following (including one or more pictures and/or videos):
    • Your experience making a silicon mould
    • Are there any other silicon mould projects that look interesting to you?
    • Continue brainstorming ideas for your major project (no decision on your final project need to be made at this time, and you may decide to do something else later in the course)

References

AldaxMoulds (Director). (2010, February 7). How to Make a Silicone Ring Mould. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q1HC4yECnk

Hartman, V. (2023, March). DSC Staff Guide: Resin mould casting. Google Docs. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZyIZlGb38ZFHc2KrBxLACYqMtA-oNU2IbDlHQVyVW90/