Halloween is a holiday like no other. It’s a time when imagination runs wild, and the boundaries between reality and the supernatural blur. Makers take this opportunity to showcase their skills, turning their homes, yards, and even themselves into hauntingly impressive works of art, that can occasionally incorporate mechanical iris diaphragms to add an extra […]
Is this your card?
Opening up the illusion To an extent, iris diaphragms are a clever trick in themselves. Without knowing how they work, one might imagine there’s something quite magical about how they open and close in such a mesmerizing manner. So when a magician approached seeking help creating a new magic trick, it was an intriguing prospect […]
How To Make a Paper Iris Diaphragm
Papercraft is a wonderfully accessible thing, and so what better project to make than a paper iris diaphragm. Building on lessons learnt from last time, we go into more depth, and cover every single step in the design process. What Is An Iris Diaphragm? Let’s start with a quick recap and inform ourselves what an […]
Creating the best engagement ring box
A challenge I set myself recently was to create the best engagement ring box possible. I have designed one in the past (which you can also 3D print), and although it functions well, I felt there’s plenty of room for improvement. There are some other great looking ones already available out there on the internet, […]
A New Engagement Ring Iris Box
Close to being the ultimate 3d printable iris box, this engagement ring holder features a fully closing iris aperture, a ring that rises up, and an easy twist action to open and close the box. 60×40 mm, with a 0 – 40 mm aperture range. Available to purchase as a physical item, or as an […]
Brick dome iris
Occasionally an email will arrive from a subscriber who’s project is complete, and their need for the Iris Calculator has come to a natural end. I’m always pleased to hear how the Iris Calculator has helped drive their iris design, and it’s always a joy to see their creations in action. Way back in 2016 […]
Pseudo-shortening
A subtle artefact of stacking leaves in an array is the issue of pseudo-shortening. Being on the continuing quest to make the perfect iris design, it’s certainly a factor to consider when creating an iris diaphragm. So what do I mean when I use the term pseudo-shortening? Let’s start, like all great iris designs, by […]
Printing pins on the drive ring, and why it doesn’t work
Designing an iris to be easily manufactured is obviously advantageous. One particular challenge is making the leaves with pins on opposite sides, and is a common limitation associated with 3D printing on a FDM printer (also known as FFF). This is because parts generally benefit from being printed flat (see my previous article). With these […]
How to attach pins using projection welding
Projection welding is a form of spot-welding, whereby a protrusion of material from one metal part is melted into another, forming a solid bond. This is a particularly useful technique when you have mismatched material thicknesses – such as a solid pin being welded onto very thin leaf material. To make this work for us, […]
How to cut the slot for the iris handle in your steampunk goggles
This is a guide on how we currently cut the slot for the irises handle in our steampunk goggles. If you’ve bought the Steampunk iris from our store, you may find it useful to follow, or modify, these instructions to cut the slot in your own goggles. For those of you that have a 3D printer, we’ve included a template for you to download and 3D print to help aid the process.
Download DXF – What happens next?
Once you’ve designed and downloaded your mechanical iris as a DXF, what happens next?
Because the Iris Calculator makes no assumptions as to how you might want to fabricate your iris, those DXF files need to be shaped into your final design. In this brief video I show you an example of how you might extrude the housing into a 3D model using SolidWorks.
5 steps to making Steampunk goggles mechanical iris
Here’s a short video demonstrating 5 steps to making Steampunk goggles mechanical iris diaphragm. Once you’ve 3D printed the parts it’s relatively straight forward to put together.
Mechanical Iris Greetings Card
8×10″ card, incorporating a 5 blade iris mechanism with a 3.5″ aperture, made of reflective card stock.
Opening the aperture reveals your message.
Message can be easily replaced, and the card used again.
3D print leaves with opposing pins
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…
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!
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?
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!
Iris diaphragm blade making tips and tricks
Manufacturing mechanical an iris diaphragm blade, identically, multiple times is a challenge. Usually you’re dealing with very thin material and needing to mount pins securely, with a high degree of accuracy. Here is a somewhat subjective run through of various methods of making blades for your iris.
How to make a cardboard mechanical iris
Building an iris diaphragm needn’t always require specialist tools and materials. A perfectly functional aperture can be easily created from craft materials found around the home. All it takes is a little patience and a steady hand.
