Alternate Solutions

Jillian Kasun

Mr. Cuttrell and Ms. Green

Systems Engineering II

14 September 2016

Alternate Solution 1

Alternate Solution 1 consists of a dorsal and ventral cast, mimicking the exterior of an adult cownose stingray. The dimensions include 22 inches in length and 28 inches in width. The casting covers and protects the internal structure. The two separate casts join through the application of an adhesive. The bottom cast’s excess material allows for the connection. The material thickness of the wing declines to produce the natural form and the ability to move.

Create a full scale sculpture of an adult cownose stingray from modeling clay. Utilize a ruler, sculpting tools, and images of stingrays to imitate outer features. Ensure that the wings have a natural declination in thickness. Apply a release agent to prevent the clay from sticking to the mold.

Pour melted gelatin on the stingray sculpture. Spread the mix over the model using a brush. Ensure that the gelatin covers all features. After allowing the gelatin to set, remove the gelatin from the clay sculpture. This process creates a negative mold.

Apply latex to the negative mold. Evenly distribute the latex to prevent material accumulation. The model requires layers of latex to achieve the thickness of ¼ inch. The latex maintains form and allows for the undulating motion of the wings.The material’s light weight fails to harm the internal structure.

The ventral cast contains a flap to access the central programming. The dimensions include 11 inches in length and 6 inches in width. The flap remains in place due to an additional inch of latex (1 inch in length and 1/16 inch thickness). The excess material slides and secures under the cast. The weight of the cast prevents the flap from opening while moving.

Alternate Solution 2

Alternate Solution 2 contains a dorsal and ventral cast, acting as the skin of an adult cownose stingray. The dimensions include 22 inches in length and 28 inches in width. The cast covers and protects the internal structure. The two separate casts join through the application of an adhesive. The bottom cast’s excess material allows for the connection. The material thickness of the wing declines to produce the natural form and ability to move.

Create a full scale sculpture of an adult cownose stingray from styrofoam. Utilize a ruler and images of stingrays to imitate outer features. Use the hot wire cutter located in the Systems Engineering Lab to achieve desired shape. Utilize sandpaper to achieve the natural declination of the wings.  

Spread clay (26 inches in length and 32 inches in width) on a flat surface. Press the styrofoam structure ¼ inch in the clay to create an imprint. Evenly apply silicone to the imprint to produce the mold. Remove air bubbles to create a flawless product. After allowing the silicone to set, remove the silicone mold from the imprint.

Pour urethane in the silicone mold. Evenly spread the urethane to avoid accumulation in material. Urethane has the ability to undulate with the internal wing structure. A single layer of urethane achieves the thickness of ¼ inch. Though this solution incorporates more materials, urethane produces a more durable cast.

The ventral cast has a flap to access the watertight compartment. The dimensions include 11 inches in length and 6 inches in width. The side of the flap facing the programming system contains two velcro parts. The velcro on the cast attaches to two velcro parts on the compartment. The velcro prevents the flap from opening during motion.

Alternate Solution 3

Alternate Solution 3 consists of a solid silicone structure that reproduces the shape of an adult cownose stingray. The dimensions include 22 inches in length and 28 inches in width. The cast encloses the internal structures. The material thickness of the wing declines to produce the natural form and allow for movement.

Create a full scale sculpture of an adult cownose stingray from modeling clay. Utilize a ruler, sculpting tools, and images of stingrays to imitate exterior features. Ensure that the wings have a natural declination in thickness. Apply a release agent to prevent the clay from sticking to the mold.

Pour melted alginate on the stingray sculpture. Spread the mix over the model using a brush. Ensure that the alginate covers all features. After allowing the alginate to set, remove the alginate from the clay sculpture. This process creates a negative mold.

Apply silicone to the negative mold. Evenly distribute the silicone to prevent material accumulation. After creating the base layer, place the internal structures and programming system on the silicone. Pour silicone over the inner structure and central programming system. This process encompasses the internal elements with silicone.

The silicone has the flexibility to undulate with the movement of the internal structure. However, the weight of the material threatens to break the flexible inner structure. The amount of material restricts the movement of the animatronic stingray. Since the silicone surrounds the internal subsystems, the solution does not allow access to the inner programming system.

Alternate Solution 4

Alternate Solution 4 consists of a dorsal cast, a ventral cast, and wing casts, simulating the skin of an adult cownose stingray. The dimensions of the dorsal cast include 22 inches in length and 28 inches in width. The dimensions of the ventral cast include 22 inches in length and 8 inches in width. The dimensions of the wings include 17 ½ inches in length and 10 inches in width. The casting covers and protects the internal structure. The material thickness of the wing declines to produce the natural form and allow for movement.

Create full scale sculptures of an adult cownose stingray’s wings, dorsal side, and ventral side from styrofoam. Utilize a ruler and images of cownose stingrays to recreate features. Use the hot wire cutter located in the Systems Engineering Lab to achieve desired shape. Achieve the natural declination of the wings with sandpaper.

Spread four sections of clay on a flat surface. Press the styrofoam structures ¼ inch in the clay to create imprints. Evenly apply silicone to the imprints to create the molds. Remove air bubbles to produce flawless products. After allowing the silicone to set, remove the silicone molds from the imprints.

Pour urethane in the silicone molds. Evenly spread the urethane to avoid material accumulation. A single layer of urethane has the thickness of ¼ inch. Urethane produces a durable cast with the ability to undulate with the internal wing structure. The separate casts join through the application of an adhesive. The adhesive must not break during wing motion. The excess material on the wings allows for the connection.

            The ventral cast divides into two sections (11 inches in length and 3 inches in width). A rounded piece of urethane extrudes from the first section (11 inches in length and ¼ inch in width). A hole in the second section allows for the connection of the two parts. The excess material of the first section fits into the lack of material of the second section. This junction allows access to the compartmentation and maintains the form of the ventral cast.