Eighth Note Rest
Class Project (ME 103)
Fall 2024 - Stanford University
Design Process
Each student project needed to use two “core” manufacturing methods, between casting, milling, turning (via lathe), and welding. I chose the first two.
I chose to create my project to represent my love for music, while also serving a practical purpose.
Before buying and transforming the materials for the project, I drafted an order of operations that outlined every machine and process I would use, which was approved by a course assistant.
Manufacturing Process
I designed a casting mold in Fusion 360, which I sanded and attached to a pattern board. Using equipment in Stanford’s Product Realization Lab (PRL), I cast the music note out of Aluminum 356A. I sand blasted the surface for a matte finish.
For the base, I milled a 6” round aluminum stock, drilling through holes for screws and subtracting enough material for the wood veneer. I used a vinyl pattern to mask a sand-blasted pattern for the melody around the perimeter.
The final piece was the wood veneer, which I cut by hand and polished with shellac.
This project was one of my favorites from any class, and served as a great opportunity to familiarize myself with what goes into the creation of physical products!
Sand casting pattern
Partially milled base
Prototyping the milling connection and orientation
I had the great pleasure of taking ME 103, or Product Design: Design and Making, in the fall of 2024.
The course centered around learning manufacturing methods and applying them toward a single project.
Over 10 weeks, I designed and produced a headphone stand shaped like a music note.
The base and note were made of milled and cast aluminum, respectively, with a stained cherry wood veneer separating the two.
Right: Hero shot of final project.