Charlie Walker, Class of 2021, trying the hydraulic press.
For the second EDI Hackathon, 2020 and 2019 EDI Fellows designed two different book presses to help our brethren, the Literacy Fellows, make their books quicker and easier than their current methods. One of the designs was to modify a hydraulic press. The new 2021 EDI Fellows constructed the book press as their first build project during the Jan 2018 Fellows Retreat. Here is the portfolio entry by Charlie Walker ’21 about the experience.
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Organization of Materials by 2021 EDI Fellows
Introduction: As EDI Fellows, our first group task was to construct a hydraulically-powered bookpress. We created this construction for Norfolk Academy’s Literacy Fellows. This piece of machinery would allow them to press books more efficiently and use less force on their part.
Method: When creating this machine, we divided up into two groups. At first, one group, (Keon, AJ, and myself) worked on the physical construction of the design. The other group (Caitlin, Olivia, and Christopher) organized materials that were soon to be used. Frequently, within the challenge, we would switch roles. This allowed some flow and variety between jobs for everyone.
Building Phase
Building Phase: Before building the model, we planned out what we were going to do. Splitting into two groups and discussing the instructions to the build, the planning phase went over very efficiently. During the building phase, we began to build the structure very efficiently without much disruption.
Building Phase Cont.
However, towards the back half of the building procedure, some turmoil occured. About halfway through the build, our team started to notice the whole constructions was not evenly level. This happened multiple times and required us to go back, unscrewing many nuts and bolts, and finally keeping the whole structure level.
Testing Phase
Final Results: Despite the turmoil that appeared within our groups, we worked through the problems and successfully finished the press. We were able to test the build multiple times on certain items, especially foods. Overall, the project ended up being successful, while also being a genuine bonding experience between us new fellows.