From Inception to Final Project
The first step of the process was researching all of the dimensions of the 4 different specified coins (quarter, dime, nickel and penny). This allowed me to determine both the minimum size requirements (1 x 3.25 x 3.1 inches) and the maximum (5 x 5 x 5 inches). From this I made my initial and secondary concept sketches for the design of the coin holder as seen below:
From here I decided upon using the second design due to it's cleaner appearance, ease of use and lower material usage. From here I modeled the design within Inventor leaving some tolerance for the size of the coin slots to make sure they fit. I also avoided sharp edges with fillets for a smoother overall shape. I then continued with the process below to finally end up with a working prototype for my coin holder.
The Process
Files Used
The Machine in Action
In Summary
The main thing I learned this rotation was some of the quirks and limitations of the Maker Bot printer. My part printed without incident but the final product was slightly different from what I had hoped for. The embossed letters that I had put in to mark the different values of coins didn't show up in the final product. This could somewhat have been expected due to how small they were. Another thing I noticed was the need for some kind of thermal ventilation to prevent the slight warping of the raft. I most likely could have added some short legs to the base of my project to avoid this.