How I Got My Idea:
For this project I got my idea right away since I was able to have a weekend to think about what i wanted to do. So to look at my designs i googled R shaped phone holders to get a general idea of how to shape it and how big it should be. To start I went on inventor and opened a standard .ipt file since that is the 3-D software that we use to make parts and pieces and transfer them to MakerBot and then to the 3-D printer. I started trying to make a R that i liked and looked pretty cool but in Inventor it is hard to make things the exact shape you want at least with my level of Inventor it is. So i went with a more generic Robin looking R that i likes. I did this by starting a new 2-D sketch and using the XY plane. Then i used the line tool to make the straight edges. I found out how think the phone was and made where the phone sits .25in and i found out tall it was and made it 6in then i adjusted the angle to 110 degrees so it had a nice tilt to it so it would rest nice. Making the curve in the R was relatively easy i just used the arc tool and just eyeballed to about where i thought it looked good. Then I drew the final leg so it was on the same level as the other leg so the final outcome would sit level and even. Then i finally extruded the sketch to 3in because that is how wide the phone is. I then saved this file, and then exported it as a CAD so i could put it on MakerBot. Then i opened the MakerBot software and exported my file. I then re scaled it to 1000% so it would be the actual size i make it in Inventor. Finally before putting it on a flash drive i made sure my part was on the platform so it would print right. I then put my MakerBot file of my part on a flash drive and took it down to the 3-D printer and hit print to start the making of my part. This took 10 hours to print which is because of its size. When it was done printing i tried my phone on it and it held my phone with ease and now i have a phone holder i can use whenever and where ever.
Summary
In this rotation I learned that inventor is a software that can be hard to use at time when you are trying to get the exact shape you want because all you can use is lines and arcs. I also learned that you have to make sure your project is on the platform before you print it because you could waste 2 full work days all because you just forget to click one button on MakerBot. I learned that you need to export you .ipt file as a CAD so you can export it to MakerBot. I spent 5 minutes trying to figure out why i could get my file to show up on MakerBot and it is because you need ti export it as a CAD. Finally i learned that these printers take a long time to print an it is very beneficial to take an extra few minutes to make sure everything is perfect and ready to print so you don't was 10 hours to just see your project not turn out how you want it to then change it and reprint it. All in all this project took quick and it is something that I will use almost every day and i also learned more about Inventor MakerBot and the 3-D printer.