LIGHTSABER
A lightsaber built over the course of the semester that involved over two hundred hours of printing and designing.
STAR WARS BACKSTORY
The character I chose to base this lightsaber off of, was from a fictional
character I created name Bear Claw. Bear Claw was a Sith lord based around the
time of the peak of the Galactic Empire (The Era of Darth Vader and Emperor
Sheev Palpatine). Lord Claw was promoted to the rank Sith Lord in 1032 BBY,
after his service in the attributes of Order 66. The lightsaber he bears, was
crafted from the fires of Mount Doom, where the blood and soul of Morgoth once
dwelt. The blade was believed to be indestructible by any known force that shall
have been pressed upon it. Lord Claw was believed to be one of the driving forces
in the expansion of the Galactic Empire. Lord Claw led a campaign to reconquer
the Mid Rim and Outer Rim Territories, eliminating the last vestiges of the
Separatist holdouts. He then led the conquest of capturing Kashyyyk, and to
eliminate the last remnants of the Old Republic by the orders of the Dark Council.
The conquest for Kashyyyk was not an easy one for the Empire, it became known
as the “Battle for Kashyyyk”, or “The Seven Years War”. With mind of
Machiavelli and perseverance, Lord Claw triumphed, and the Empire was the New
Order.
Mission
Develop a lightsaber that's no more than 14", consists of over 30 parts, durable, and must be dissembled during the final showcase (and reassembled afterwards).
Process, Insights, & Timeline
As a starting point, sketches were developed and sectioned off appropriately (based on the 14" constraints). The opening cavity had a set diameter of 1.25", making the internal components all have 1.2" diameters. The sketches provided blueprints for the 3D models in Solidworks (making the process efficient). Solidworks provided the opportunities to simulate, test different plastics, and create assemblies to justify measurements. Python was used to code .stl files for printing. The project had a timeline of 4 months (a semester for the course MECH 1025), and project management was crucial to the project's success.
The project trained me to be meticulous about every measurement and how engineers respond when encountering a problem (the solution)—understanding the technical features of Solidworks, E-Drawings, Python, and 3-D printing to develop the skill sets in diagnosing the project and implementing a systematic approach.
Crystal & Chamber
Each part and feature has a dimension that must be accounted. Research was conducted by comparing real life adaptations and then scaling to match with the desired space within the lightsaber.
Hilt Cap
One of the most design intuitive, yet difficult part to produce. The design is inspired by Aragorn's sword from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The shape involves over 3 lofts, 13 cuts, and 24 threads per inch.
Subassembly
Displaying all of the internal components within the lightsaber.
Assembly
Complete exterior with all buttons and components attached.
