Previously, the team worked on all the individual parts and mechanisms within the super glue gun including the trigger, the circuitry, the hot end, the auto stand, and the extruder motor. Now it’s time to bring things together to make a cohesive prototype. They’ll also work on case design and how it works with the autostand.
Ben’s been drawing sketches for the case design to figure out placement of the innards. The bottom half will contain the electronics and the top half will bolt onto that and contain the motor, the hot end, and the auto retracting servo. He does a quick mockup with clay to get an idea of the concept in hand. This will help him visualize how the stand will fit in with the enclosure.
Ben and Karen have a brainstorming session so they can take an in-depth look at the stand. They received some feedback in a previous episode about how the stand could get in the way, become a false trigger, and other problems. For the stand to work it would have to be used to place the glue gun on a flat surface. For that to happen they need a workable extension retraction but because it would extend past the gun barrel there is some concern that it will get gummed up. To address these concerns, Ben returns to his sketchpad to try and come up with a new design.
Next, Ben begins working on a new 3D model in Autodesk Fusion 360. Karen and Ben both agree that it would be beneficial if the gun was longer. This also means that he’ll also need to make some adjustments to the code to accommodate the temperature difference in the hot end. While their original goal was to come up with a mechanism to operate their auto stand, in doing so they come to the realization that they’ll need to redesign almost the entire top portion of the gun, rotating the motor 90 degrees, and adjusting the positioning (possibly swapping out for a bigger one) of the heating elements.
