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Device to turn Aluminum soda cans into building blocks.
Choosing metal over plastic to avoid 6 year olds doing furnace work.
The ideal target shape would a lego block. Will have consult patents and do some design work to avoid patent problems.
And make a mechanism that like the easy bake oven
is very unlikely to hurt the user. The final product should not have sharp edges. Or leave extra bits around to be swallowed.
So far all I see is a massive die block and punch and a ten foot lever action. And some missing toes.
As long as the kid can find another can and pull the lever he can have as many blocks as he/she likes.
No more feeling bad and jealous cause the kid down the street has a 500 piece set and yours is only 399.
Just bug mom to buy more soda. Wonder if coke would want to sponsor a joint venture?
Solid-phase welding
http://www.meyersgr...ls/Meyers%20256.pdf
[bs0u0155, Dec 10 2013]
Flattened cans
http://www.eco-artw...ewsletter_11_05.php
House with soda can shingles. [popbottle, Dec 11 2013]
[link]
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"And now, young Sodawalker... you will die." |
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I like it, I'm just not sure it's actually feasible. Square
blocks of a given size, maybe, but you're going to
have an extremely hard time forming complex
geometry without leaving sharp edges. Aluminum
doesn't fuse together just because it's pressed really
hard. |
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There's also the requirement of making sure the cans
are empty, clean, and dry before use. |
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//Aluminum doesn't fuse together just because it's
pressed really hard// |
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It does if you press it REALLY hard <link>. |
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Friction welding perhaps? |
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//Aluminum doesn't fuse together just because it's
pressed really hard// |
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That's true, but an irregular-shaped aluminium blank forced
into a die will crinkle layer upon layer and hold its shape
quite well. |
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//will crinkle layer upon layer and hold its shape
quite well// |
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I don't doubt that, my concern is that in forming
that shape, you'll end up with a lot of jagged edges,
where the layers end. |
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Not if you push hard enough. A 5-ton hydraulic ram against
a shoebox-sized block-and-die will press crinkled layers of
aluminium into a shape with smooth sides, the layers
formed into each other closely enough to leave only tiny
seams and ridges. My best friend in college crushed several
hundred cans into swirly-patterned polyhedral bricks for an
art
project, and they were quite smooth once the corners were
braked off. The sculpture wasn't a masterpiece, but the
individual bricks were pretty cool. |
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The ram you can get out of a medium-sized floor jack; the
die we made ourselves. Not exactly available from Harbor
Freight. |
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I just looked and Harbor Freight has a "Heavy duty" 8 ton hydraulic ram with built in hand pump for $60. I didn't realize it could be so cheap. So, with something like that, how do you know when you've reached the 8 ton limit? Does it get too hard to pump, or do you just known you've exceeded the limit when it explodes and decapitates you? Okay, maybe I'll upgrade to one NOT sold by Harbor Freight. |
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Try Northern Tool & Equipment. I rarely break anything I've
purchased from them, whereas I usually shop Harbor
Freight when I'm _expecting_ something to break. |
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The 'bottle' style of jacks typically just stop lifting when
they hit their limit, or each pump of the handle will raise
the piston a little but it will immediately sink back down.
Whether this is by design or not I don't know, but I'd
certainly build one to do that on purpose. Better than
unexpected detonation for any tool I plan to sell or use
myself. |
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Surely an induction heater could melt the
aluminium? |
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Or you could get a bunch of 2x4 lumber, cut them
down to desired sizes and sand them. Underage
helper can paint desired colors. |
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// Surely an induction heater could melt the aluminium?
// |
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Yes, it could, but unless you're melting down huge billets
it's much easier to do it with a propane torch. Try to stand
upwind. |
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I didn't see [8th] here. So I wondered, "Is there no
such thing as explosive welding?" To Google I went;
was not disappointed. |
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Maybe the NSA has an alert category of "[Probable]
false alarm - HalfBakery" |
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