Spicy Tower Project

Welcome to our page about the spicy tower project. This was our Fresher's design project for Michaelmas 2020 and has been continued and added to in 2021 and 2022.

Link to the project drive (member access required): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t-KWobXJFh8U6YMa4MeSd3zL-YaiPS64?usp=sharing

Initially run virtually during lockdown, the spicy tower project was a collaborative design project; a fun social project during lockdown periods. This project consisted of the design and 3D print of a tower where each floor is designed by a different person. This was a great project for students to learn and train new CAD skills as they had complete freedom for their design and weekly support from other society members for any technical issues. This was an artistic challenge which had to take into account the constraints of FDM 3D printing technologies and include different clever linking mechanisms between each floor. Completed designs were then printed by someone who had access to a 3D printer and tested with its surrounding floors. Now that we have access to in-person facilities, this project will be concluded with the final prints and assembly.

Goals:

• Each person designs one floor

• They have to chat with the neighbour floors’ designers to create a unique and ingenious 3d printed linking system (it must be different for each level) 

• You’re free to design the structure however you want, we’re trying to make something aesthetically pleasing, try to synchronise with the neighbour floors to have some continuity

• Feel free to include a ‘special touch’ in your design like a signature or your college logo?

Constraints:

• The links must fix two neighbouring floors together (whatever their orientation, so they mustn’t simply be held because of gravity in one direction)

• Floor height = 8cm

• Floor width/depth anything smaller than 12cm 

• The linking systems can be protruding from the build volume

• No full block (it’s not the prettiest structure) and we’re trying to keep lightweight

• One floor can be made out out a couple of different parts to allow for more complex designs but make it easy to assemble

• All parts will be 3d printed and no other components must be required for the assembly