For the school lesson Fablab I get the chance to make something in the lab.

There are some rules:

Minimal 3 materials

Minimal 3 machines, like a lasercutter a 3D printer and somthing else

One rotary point

Minimal 1 electronic circuit

Make a sample from cardboard

I call my object the Pitstop, in Dutch pit means grain, what the birds like to eat, and stop is a break.

In the next step you see how I get there.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Like everything it starts with an idee and a brainwave. Here you see the ideas I have befor I make a choose, you will see that I start making things whit big plans, al lot of time and difficult constructions.

The first question was, do you have a problem around your home?

I start thinking about my birds. They eat a lot and make filth when they eat. I start thinking about a machine that feed the birds in timeplan.

I want to make somthing whit al lot of timing and moving objects, very difficult to create. Like a machine with a timer that drops at times food. Like the machine at the fair, where you can pick up (if you lucky) a toy.

The next idee was more a sollid object where the birds can eat en swim, whitout the rotaiting parts. In that situation I must refresh the food and water everyday like I do now, but than I can practice whit the laser cutter and the 3d printer and other machines. And not waste time trying to creating a difficult timeplan. I skipt the part whit al the moving objects, due to time constraints.

Now it have:

2 bins for water

2 bins for food

1 bin for the poop and drop grain

The Pitstop is created that the birds can not sit on a place where the can't poop in the water or in there food. And for me, important, that I can clean everything easy.

In the next step you see wat it will become.

Step 2: The Drawings for Pitstop

Here's what I 'm going to make in cardboard. It is a model at the sheel 1:2.

Up is the pool and drink place for the birds, in de middel the place for the food and unther al that a bin for al the poop and other waste I can easely clean. In this model you don't see the grid what I want to make up the poopbin, so that the birds can not go in there and eat ther poop, really they do that!

In de back you see the trees, I go to frees that out, so that you see the light in de forest. In de back I set some lamps for in the evening. Perhaps whit al motion sensor, that depends on the time I have to create.

I choose for a forest cut out the laves, but you can choose for every picture you like.

Also you find al the drawings for the laser cutter in this step. You can personalizing the drawings.

I make holes for the bottons in the side panel for the switch I broke out of an old fan.
But I think you will not find exactly those switch. So befor you start cutting, measure your switch, and make the holes the right side. The tree in the middel of the first line have a bigger puncture for a sensor. I bought a garden gnome and broke the sound out, so when the birds fly to the Pitstop it makes a sound. My birds didn't like it, so I remove it. Above the holes of the switch you see a big opening, that was for the switch of the sound sensor. In the back I glue with tape garland with lights. That was what I have over and it have a nice light. You can choise to use other lights.

Step 3: Laser Cutter

I start to make a drawing in Adobe Ilustrator. In the beginning I want to make the Pitstop from 6mm wood.

To create the Pitstop as a building packet I load the drwaings in Rhinoceros to make a 3D sample. There I can see that the plates fit in each other.

The first day I found out that 6mm thick is to mach. It take hours to cut through the plate. and we can only can use the machine one hour. So I went back home and I remake the drawings to 3mm thick plates. Now it cuts in one time throught the plate, so the work can speed up!

In the beginning I found it to thin for the big birds, but this is a prototype so when everthing is rounded I will see how it works whit the birds. For the weaker parts I glue two plates, and than it is 6mm.

Step 4: Bin With Vacuum Press

The bins I want to make whit the 3D printer, but the teachter told met that 3D printing was not waterproof.

He suggest to use the vacuum press for the bins.

I make a contramal (drawaing 10) and tray to make the bins. It was difficult to get the contramal out. So I use a lot of oily to get it out, and that works a bit. And other option was to make holes in the mal so the air can go out and it is easy, but that was to late for me, my mal was to thick to drill the holes in it. The last option was to fit a screw and pull.

But it look terribly. It tore out, it broke fast and it was not what I want for the Pitstop. So I tray to make a bin whit the 3d printer, see next step. It is your choice how you want to do it.

Step 5: Bin With 3D Printer

I use PLA-plastic, and it is waterproof!

PLA-plastic opposed to ABS-plastic: ABS needs higher temperature (230 and higher) and was not an option of the Fablab.

It takes 2 hours to make the bin and 20 min to make the edge. I glue the edge it whit PVC-glue after I scrub the edges for a better fitting. I want to make 4 bins in total but unfortunately I don't have the time for that. When you have the time I recommend to to all the bins with the 3D printer. But if you don't have the time, see the next step.

Than I want to print a grid above the poopbin, but that takes 8 housrs, so that was to long for me. I make a model with wood, but you can if you have the time make it with the 3D printer.

My conclusion is that the 3D printer works perfectly for the ride size, but it takes a lot of time. It is the waiting more than worth!

Step 6: Bin Make With Hands

I take a soft PVC plate for the bins with the food. This PVC is the same as the PVC I use for the vacuum press.

I use the bottom of the contra mal for the good size. You can see in the pictures how I make it.

The size are the same as on the drwaings for the bin of the 3D printer.

I glue it whit PVC-glue after I scrub the edges for a better fitting.

Thist take about one hours to make two bins, so that is a short way to creating.

Step 7: Building the Pitstop

Now you have everiting to creat the Pitstop, you can put it together like a construction paket.

You can follow the pictures to see how it works.

I write it in the first step, but maby you forgot, so here again:

I make holes for the bottons in the side panel for the switch I broke out of an old fan. But I think you will not find exactly those switch. So befor you start cutting, measure your switch, and make the holes the right side. The tree in the middel of the first line have a bigger puncture for a sensor. I bought a garden gnome and broke the sound out, so when the birds fly to the Pitstop it makes a sound. My birds didn't like it, so I remove it. Above the holes of the switch you see a big opening, that was for the switch of the sound sensor.

In the back I glue with tape garland with lights. That was what I have over and it have a nice light. You can choise to use other lights.