Design and Metalworking

Prerequisite: Lecture Series- Stress, Strain and Energy; This is a series of three one-hour FREE lectures that run a week prior to this course.

The Metal Shop at Artisans Asylum features a wide variety of tools for fabricating steel shapes. The first of three four-hour sessions teaches how to use these tools in sequence to design and make durable, functional, accurate steel parts.

The second four-hour session will include a review of mechanical design as well as a lesson on using the CAD tools at AA to prepare a sheet-metal design for fabrication. We have both SolidWorks and Fusion available but because of time constraints, only one platform (SolidWorks) will be used in the session. If you wish to use Fusion in this class, please contact the instructor.

Projects are the focus of the third four-hour session. We have a set of pre-designed projects of moderate complexity, and we can address projects that students propose. Lessons on the first day will partly fabricate these, and on the third day the projects will be finished.

See learning objectives below.

• Confidence in executing your own designs efficiently in the Metal Shop.
• A firm grounding in the use of metalworking tools in the Metal Shop, Plasma Shop, and Design Shop. These include major tools: CNC plasma cutter, MIG welder, and powder coating facility. Also included are Ironworker, bending presses, spot welder, brake, shear, torches.
• Use of the CAD tools available at AA directed towards sheet metal fabrication.
• Instruction on mechanics and mechanical design.
• Experience in a sequence of tool operations and how mechanical design accommodates it.
• Design of fixtures for the best accuracy with bent sheet and bar stock.
• Tool testing as time permits. Come on the first Wednesday each month for Tool Testing Night if testing is not accomplished during class time.

People working on hardware projects are always rushed to make brackets to hold things together at the end of the project. This class teaches fast techniques to make durable, precise metal parts to achieve definite structural specifications. Take this class and become the hero of your product development team!

• Steel sheet and bar stock.
• Consumables for MIG welding, CNC plasma cutting, sand blasting and powder coating.
• Reference materials will be provided on a USB flash drive from the Instructor
• All of the required safety gear for working in the Metal Shop: Closed-toe shoes and natural fiber clothing. Eye protection and dust masks will be provided.
• Access to A2's Metal Shop and Design Shop and tools for the duration of the session.

FREE lecture series "Stress Strain and Energy"

Jim Bredt is a retired inventor and machine designer who worked for 30 years in the 3D printing industry. He has been active at Artisans Asylum for 10 years and used the shops at A2 to develop hardware for one of his 3DP startup companies. In addition to mechanical design and fabrication, he also teaches a weekly figure drawing class.

Questions? You can email Jim at jfbredt@gmail.com