Product Construction Process

     

I decided to use the laser cutter again to cut out pieces of craft plywood for my “Thing From the Future” product. I was thinking of including some kind of a locking mechanism for the tree tank, but decided that was too complicated and time consuming, so instead made two identical layers except one has a hole so the tank can fit in through. With those two pieces I used wood glue to stick together and clamps to hold down until it dries, and then used the drill to put nuts and bolts on the other wood parts to join them all together.

          

After constructing the base of the apparatus, I folded a thin sheet of acrylic and taped the ends to join them together into a large cylinder, and thankfully fitted perfectly within the hole. I decided to use the remaining mailing tubes left over from my Urban Adaptation garment as the “joint” on the top that will open and close the top lid, connected with “arms” made of wooden sticks that I cut with the Japanese saw and joined with the lid by screws and wood glue. To make this product as realistic and stylistic as possible, I decided to go buy an actual tree plant to fit inside the tank, and it looks perfect.

          

To make this look like a futuristic product, I decided to use white gloss spray paint with gray tones throughout to achieve the sleek and high tech appearance from typical sci fi films. After inserting the tank, I cut out the pieces according to the measurement of the arms so the lid can smoothly slide in and out. Also I cut out more thin sheets of acrylic to wrap around the top layer of wood so that it really looks like a lid closing and locking in on the tank. I cut out strips of cardboard for the straps attached to the apparatus, scoring them to make them more flexible, and spray painted with white and gray. I then taped the inside with duct tape for durability and used the drill again to attached with nuts and bolts.

          

The main apparatus was finished, but the final piece to make my product complete was still missing: the mask. With time and material constraints I decided to buy a respirator mask and vacuum tubes from Lowe’s, and fitted them to the tank carrier. I measured the approximate length of each tube and hot glued them to the sides of the mask and on the pipe lids, which are then hot glued to the acrylic part of the lid. To make it look like one piece, I colored the front of the mask white to go with the white-and-gray overtone.

After connecting everything, I bought some soil to fill inside the tank and placed the tree inside.

The final product turned out exactly like how I imagined it to look like, and I was really surprised at its ability to actually be usable. I think adding a few gray tones was a really good decision because it really make this object look more like a finished product instead of a draft/prototype if it was colored in all white. The nuts and bolts and screws hold the pieces together really well, and fortunately the hot glue also manages to hold them together. The acrylic tank does its job well as a substitute for a glass tank, and I think the tree inside certainly adds a stylistic aspect that stands out and make this product a unique piece. Overall I’m absolutely pleased with the result, and if I had more time, I would add some details like lines and dots, maybe even glowing pieces, to achieve an even more of a futuristic sci fi appearance.

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