PNP

The first unit of the Technology Seminar class asked us to collaborate and create a nameplate for the admissions team.
Though I don’t have everything recorded, I still want to share some of my approaches and progress.

Background

Before this project, I already had some experience in CAD — I made my own PC case.
It was my first big CAD project and took about a month… and it was painful.

Here’s a little gallery walk:

Looks cool, right? But it only looks cool.

I didn’t leave enough margin for testing and wasn’t careful with the details — I accidentally rotated the motherboard holes by 90°. It was a disaster.
I ran out of both budget and time because school was starting.

Those mistakes became recurring themes throughout the school year.

On Time, On Scope, On Budget

Project: Nameplate

My initial approach was simple — just make a nameplate.

And I went as creative as possible.

Since I didn’t have a defined plan, I made several.

Gallery Walk

Thoughts

During this phase, I explored every Onshape tutorial I could find.
I learned a ton, but it was also draining.

In my designs, I experimented with many tools:

1. Lighten feature-script (inspired by robotics)
2. Loft (inspired by topology)
3. Semicircle circular pattern on a circular pattern — “Roman temple” style

But did the results look nice? Nope.
I had to stay on scope.

That’s when I started searching for a unique approach.

Dual Nameplate

Finally, I settled on the “Dual Nameplate” design.

Here’s another gallery walk:

I even made a version for my school — but I didn’t check the support structure, which made it fragile and hard to remove.

Dual Webb

Back to Topic

Finally, I still had to complete the team project.
We asked our clients (the admissions team) for their requirements:

1. Font: Lora
2. Dimensions: 2 × 8 × 1 in
3. Theme: School-oriented, professional
4. Must be presentable

My teammate and I focused on the achievable goals and trimmed away excessive ideas.
We created a school-themed pattern in Fusion and mirrored it for balance.
Then, we added a sliding mechanism so the base could be printed separately — reducing failure risk.

After several rounds of printing and adjustments, we finally got there.

Finale

This is the final print time-lapse — 24 hours!

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Improvements for the Future

1. Better locking system
2. Cleaner CAD structure
3. Tuned Bambu Lab settings
4. Clearer time management
5. Stronger teamwork

Extra Photos