Final Coaster Fabrication: Tripple Cake Coaster

 Rhino render + laser cut file set up ▲
Finished Coaster Prototype ▲
Function Application ▲
Thoughts:

The whole process for this design was a struggle. I didn't plan out the connecting parts to make everything fit together smoothly, so I just figured I’d use superglue or hot glue to piece it all together. My first try was pretty bad. The superglue took way too long to dry, so the pieces just kept sliding around. It ended up getting glue all over the main surfaces and left a bunch of residue. Even washing it with soap didn't really do anything. I eventually decided to just make the messy sides the top surface and cover them with felt to hide the mistakes. I ended up sticking with hot glue because it wasn't as messy as the superglue. It was a lot easier to work with, and if I messed up while putting the parts together, I could just pull them apart and start over without ruining the surfaces. The only problem was that hot glue doesn't dry clear. It turns into this cloudy white colour that stands out. I tried trimming it off with an exacto knife, but that just made the edges look rough. I finally just painted over the glue so it wouldn't be so obvious from far away.

As for the results, I’m honestly pretty impressed. The moment I stacked them up, I realized I actually achieved what I wanted with this project. Even though the process was a bit of a roller coaster, it turned out really well in the end. Adding the magnets was actually a last-minute idea, and I’m so glad I did it. It made the whole set feel more coherent and charming since the coasters actually attract each other. It also gives them better stability when they're stacked, which helps since they are pretty light from being hollow plastic. In a way, the magnets gave the design more personality and definitely helped with the functionality. I’m so happy with how they work that I had to add more pictures just to show them off. Since I used Minecraft as my main inspiration, seeing the finished results really brought back a lot of nostalgia for the game. It almost feels like having pixels come to life and definitely a sense of pride that, "yes, I made my own merch of my favourite thing" type of way. Overall, I’m really proud of how this design turned out and really enjoyed this assignment.

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