Presenting: Final Papercraft Project

 Final Papercraft Project

    I chose a carabiner because it's an object I use multiple times a week, and it's an object that is a great example of physics and engineering. It's used in a belay system to keep climbers secure, and it's made to be extremely light and extremely strong while also being ergonomic. When climbing, you are very much relying on the carabiners to keep you alive. This object is one that I am always fascinated by because it is a great example of form and function working together, with both being equally as important and prevalent in the design. 

 First draft sketches of a carabiner

 

Prototyping

I began prototyping several versions in Rhino. It became obvious that a rounded profile such as a true carabiner would not make for an easy unrolling process. I therefore opted for a geometric appearance to ease in the unrolling and folding process.  

 

I used the unroll feature in Rhino and laser cut the pieces above to try and reassemble the carabiner. Through this process, I realized I would need to reconfigure my design once again, since the pieces were too small and intricate to be folded and glued back together.

 Final Product

I decided to layer paper in order to achieve the desired thickness of the carabiner. This would ease in the laser cut and assembly process. Below are my drawing files that I used to create the profile. 

Once laser cut, I glued the pieces together and added some neon paper to provide color. From there I added glitter along the edges as a quirky and fun aesthetic choice. The result is an over-the top, over-sized caricature of a carabiner. I feel like a made a Barbie version of my favorite object :)