Dan's Random Part Gallery


Click thumbnails to enlarge graphics, hold cursor over thumbnail for description.

Kinematic Coupling

This UFO is actually a demonstration of a "Three Vee" Kinematic Clamp.
The three spherical UFO legs, combined with the three slots in the base provide
exactly six contacts points, and no degrees of freedom. This yields a repeatable
joint to within 2-3 micro inches, great for re-assembly.
UFO with spherical joing legs Slotted base UFO kinematic joint assembly


"The Stick"

"The Stick" is a cell-phone concept initiated by Dan Chapman.
Using the jig shown below, I took his original 2-D concept sketch,
and produced a 3-D surface model in Alias StudioTools.
3D jig from 2D sketch final part in jig isometric view
side view top view end view


Product Design: Advanced CAD Studies in Free-Form Geometry

This is a course I took Spring semester of 2001.
These files represent the geometry I created while taking the class.
All files were produced in SolidWorks 2000, except the dragon,
which was modeled in Alias StudioTools.
pontoon boat isometric view pontoon boat rear isometric view pontoon boat top view Smiley Guy
Bottom half of remote concept Mold to create bottom half Top half of remote concept, note mating features Mold to create top half
Isometric view of truck concept Side view of truck concept Wire drawing of palm concept Dragon Head modeled in Alias StudioTools


Triconnector Project (see paper under "Projects" for more)

The goal of this project was to create an injection mold to produce
a large number of topological legos we call "triconnectors." This concept was
developed by Prof. Carlo Sequin. My contribution was the design of the snap features,
part sizing and shaping, mold design, and manufacture of the mold and subsequent parts.
These graphics show the project progress from concept, to prototype, to CAD model,
to mold, to finished parts.
Concept: topological sculpture broken into triconnector shape First Prototype Second Prototype: snaps reversed, fingers opened for easier assembly Third Prototype: Hex shape, resized, arm base thinned to allow snap fingers to open
Mold fill simulation (780 kb) CAD model of mold with part Machined mold with part Both mold halves
Fill progression of parts Sink progression of sprue Finger flash Paul modeling fashionable triconnector 'eyeware'
Basic tricon building block: 5 parts make a dome Basic tricon building block: 7 parts make a saddle surface Sphere constructed from 20 triconnectors Boy surface constructed from ~300 triconnectors


Custom Guitar Picks

I decided to make some custom guitar picks for the lab and myself.
The "BMI" picks are souvenirs for visitors to the lab.
The "DanO" picks are so I'll never have to buy picks again.
The triangle symbol is one I've used since I was a kid,
and is somewhat similar to the ying-yang symbol.
I based the design on my previous favorite pick: the Jim Dunlop Nylon 1mm.
The mold halves are reversible, so any combination of graphics is possible.
Aluminum was used to make the molds, and the picks are molded form Delrin.
I'm happy to report that they play very nicely.
BMI pick design DanO pick design Gear pick design Dan's triangle symbol pick design
Mold bottom half Mold top half