Week 5

This week in the shop has been great!  We continued to use the AutoCAD program, and we had two required drawings we had to complete.  The first one was easy, but the second drawing was difficult.  Fortunately, I figured out to to complete the drawing.

 After I was done with both requirements, I started my design for my tiny box in AutoCAD.  Yesterday, Mr. Smith showed me how to use the handheld plasma torch, and I cut the metal sheets for our tiny boxes.  The only steps that are left in assembling the box is cutting the material, shaping it, and spot welding it.  I hope to move on to more difficult designs, and make more complex boxes.  Next week I'll be moving on with the boxes,  and use how to use the Plasma Cutter.

The essential question for this week was where plastic comes from.  Plastic can be found naturally like in insects, plants, animals' horns or their milk.  It can also be made made plastic, or synthetic plastic.  Most plastics today are synthetic plastics.  Recycled plastics go to a waste-to-energy facility, but other plastics end up in landfills, or in the ocean polluting it.  Plastic is formed from natural gases and it combines smaller molecules into a chain that is strong and durable.  Plastic is currently used in a lot of products today, but it is also one of the main things polluting our world today.

Week 4

This week, I've been improving my skills with the Vinyl cutter.  We learned to use the new program called AutoCAD which allows us to make 2D or 3D designs.  We learned the basic commands for this program, such as lines, circles, and rectangles.  We also learned how to use object snap and polar tracking, which allows us to make a line point at a certain angle, and snapped two lines together to create a connected angle.  The AutoCAD program allows us to use the 3D printer, or the Plasma cutter.  I'm excited to learn how to use those two machines, and to learn how to use the other machines in the shop next year.

The essential question for this week was where all of our waste goes.  The Laguna waste water treatment facility treats millions of gallons of waste a day.  The waste from Rancho Cotate High School, and from the homes around the city travel to this facility through the sewer system.  There are three stages to the treatment process: the primary stage, the secondary stage, the tertiary stage.  there are over five-hundred underground pipes leading to the Laguna waste water facility.

Week Three

This class is getting better and better by the minute. Every day we are expanding our knowledge of the machines, and we still have more to look forward to.  This week we focused on using the vinyl cutter, and I'm exploring what I can and can't do with this new machine.  Using the CNC router is still fresh in mind, and I'm working on gifts for my family.  I'm still looking forward to using the Plasma Cutter and the 3D printer, and searching for new ways to make new designs with different machines.  I'm looking forward to next year so I can learn even more about the shop.