Week #12 -- Metals, 3-D, and CNC (Oh my!)

Thus, 3 months of school have concluded! This week, we students have participated in the tasks of watching a "Modern Marvels" episode on the production of metals, 3-D AutoCAD, and further work on the CNC Router and MIG Welder. As the Metals is part of the essential question, I will refrain from addressing that until the conclusion of the post.

First off, the class worked with our teacher to make a small, 3-D part in AutoCAD. This involved using the 3-D tab to make objects become three-dimensional. Since this was my first time using it, I was a little behind in making the part and using functions, but I got through. Another useful tool was being able to turn the 3-D objects to either Wireframe or Shaded, or Sketched, and so on. This gives the creator a preferred look to his work.

Next, I have been working on a CNC Router project. I used Quickpart to formulate a design for my piece, and brought some of my own red spray paint to colour the wood. I decided on making a United States Marine Corps themed piece for November 10th, the USMC birthday. It will be given to my father.

Lastly is the essential question: What metal that humans have produced has had the most effect on our life?

This point can be argued many ways. For me, I prefer aluminum. However, I shall give a small list on the pros and cons of each metal mentioned in the video, as to address each point of view.

Copper: Highly conductive and malleable, can be easily turned into wiring for machinery. Used in many modern products such as phones, computers, and basically anything that uses electricity.

Bronze: An alloy. Much stronger than copper alone, fused with tin. Was made for weapons and practical pieces in the Bronze Age. Now used for mostly aesthetics. Malleable and light.

Iron: Much stronger and heavier than bronze, not to mention much more widely available. Easily able to rust. Used in many modern applications, including axes, pick-axes, hoes, and other gardening or heavy working tools

Gold: Never rusts, very ductile and malleable, and pretty. Was used in currencies for hundreds of years, now used in wiring or microchip components. Since it is much weaker than most other metals, it is not used for tools.

Steel: Strong, durable, and reliable. It is used in skyscraper frames, car frames, and literally every modern tool or kitchen utensil to date. Ships, cars, trains, tanks, trucks, and everything in between has steel somewhere. Slightly expensive to manufacture.

Aluminum: Very malleable, lightweight, and strong. It is very recent, easy to manufacture, and available for practical and aesthetic applications. It is used for kitchen wrap to keep foods fresh, to the outside framing for cars. Less strong than steel and crumples easy.