3D printers are incredible pieces of tech. With the lowering the costs of FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) printers in recent years, it has enabled desktop fabrication to reach the masses – both in the small business environment, and in the home. Sometimes, however, printing a seemingly simple object can also prove to be equally impossible. Including a way to 3d print leaves for an iris diaphragm…
Archives for July 2018
PJ Masks stencils
No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve been, there’s always some (good) distractions from the usual work. This time around it was creating a small toy, to go in loot bags for a PJ Masks themed party… Because sometimes even the smallest client is the most important!
Iris Calculator review published in Make magazine
Back in February, 2017, Make magazine wrote an unbiased review about the Iris Calculator. The author, Caleb Kraft, used the software to help speed up his design process for making his own mechanical iris. Read the review.
Paper Mechanical Iris Diaphragm
This week, I set myself the challenge of creating an iris that was simple and easy to make. A paper mechanical iris that required no additional materials, or construction techniques, accessible to all. Could it be done?
Refine your iris design with the blade overlap control
The blade overlap control usage in the Iris Calculator is somewhat under utilized by default, as it is set to ensure there are absolutely no light leakages. But it can really help – in combination with some of the other controls – to refine your iris diaphragm design. And it is especially useful when dimensions are tight and you need to maximize all the space you have available.
Canada Day iris
I decided to do something today that I have been wanting to do for a long time; which is to stencil an image on the blades of an iris. This, I figured, has no real practical use – perhaps a new Iris Calculator business card – but none-the-less it would be an interesting effect to see. And as it’s Canada day today, what better image to use than the Canadian flag!
