Keyboard Kitty Kochi

[Nicholas Jordan]

I have a proto-type, functional but needs real design work. Student-level work welcome, as well as seasoned observations. Small-scale / small-shop methods only, I have a hand-fabrication shop that made the one we have here but I am not competitive on price. Probably consider standard quality materials, bench tech / floor tech that fabricated the piece suggested ridge along the back for anti-sag. I have one high-end color selector, does not provide what I had in mind for translucent. Piece should be washable, anti-mar is desirable but can be subordinated to cost effectiveness.

My fabricator can understand any plastics terminology you wish to use, I need real help. I do have someone trained in design who can do color selection, we can see the first effort sags so possibly go from .250 to heavier guage ( do not know exact actual guage of what I have, I just told the fabricator .250 ) Whatever we do, it has to look nice as what I would do holds the load and dispenses with design ~ that is why I am asking for assistance.

SEE: Keyboard Kitty Kochi scroll down to the jpegs of cat supervising computer keyboard ....{ message edit: I would like to keep chlorine levels low - in general I want to keep toxicity as low as possible }

[Will Call]

Nicholas,

It would be helpful if we knew where you are located.

I would think one of our thermoform members may be interesred in something like this. Any takers or suggestions?

[depryor]

Nicholas,
I agree with Will, thermoforming would probably be your best approach. There are some design improvements you can make to make it stronger. We may be able to help you out with the design and/or the forming. Please feel free to contact me.

[Nicholas Jordan]

...It would be helpful if we knew where you are located.

There is a contact button on the page that gives my true physical address, I go to great lengths to avoid having my electronic traffic swamped with promotional work that does not meet my standards. Anyone who would take the time to read this and use the contact button will be of sufficient caliber to send a standard business letter if they wish.

I would think one of our thermoform members may be interesred in something like this. Any takers or suggestions?

I am viewing depryor's web page right now.

[Dr. Dick]

[quote="Nicholas Jordan"]
There is a contact button on the page that gives my true physical address, I go to great lengths to avoid having my electronic traffic swamped with promotional work that does not meet my standards. Anyone who would take the time to read this and use the contact button will be of sufficient caliber to send a standard business letter if they wish.[quote]

All Will was asking was for your location...The response "Texas" would be enough
That said, one way to strengthen your design would be to include ribs. The reason thermoforming has been suggested is that you don't need to have a high volume of parts and you don't need to spend a lot on the mold.

As a cat owner I have been lucky with my Cats over the years. Only one was interested in the key board and he preferred my lab to the board

The cat in your picture looks like my first cat "Mr. Wiskers" who only lived his first year with me. When I took him to the vet to be neutered, he died the vet said, from an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.

[Nicholas Jordan]

All Will was asking was for your location...The response "Texas" would be enough

I just pm'd depryor with full contact information.

That said, one way to strengthen your design would be to include ribs. The reason thermoforming has been suggested is that you don't need to have a high volume of parts and you don't need to spend a lot on the mold.

That's what I thought I did with the prototype, fabricator suggested rib also: Perhaps rib is much more cost effective than going to a heavier guage or stronger base material. I have a spec sheet from vendor, there must be a dozen base material groups, since I don't know what I am doing I thought it well worth the effort to ask about materials as I have in mind going to a translucent ... so I need to realize what materials will or won't support that design avenue.

As a cat owner I have been lucky with my Cats over the years. Only one was interested in the key board and he preferred my lab to the board

I have my cat already napping on the device.

The cat in your picture looks like my first cat "Mr. Wiskers" who only lived his first year with me.

The Whiskey Rebellion: "My Cat Has Whiskers"

When I took him to the vet to be neutered, he died the vet said, from an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.

My designer also runs a Pet Cemetary.

[Will Call]

Nicholas Jordan...................Anyone who would take the time to read this and use the contact button will be of sufficient caliber to send a standard business letter if they wish.

I guess I'm not of sufficient caliber, I didn't see the button.

BTW, I can vouch for dpryor and, I used to deal with them quite a bit a few years back.

[Nicholas Jordan]

Code: Select all

<div align="center" class="kochi"><input type="button" onClick="myFunction()" value="Contact Supervisor Kitty." /></div>

That's the code for the button, your caliber meets my needs, with margin. I will be visiting some with depryor on your voucher, technical discussions may become too long for average viewer so I ask you as moderator if posts of bulky technical work is appropriate if it is on-topic.

ps - do you do scuba instruction for cats?

[Louis]

I think what I am seeing in your photos is a sheet of polycarbonate or similar material that is bent at each end to form legs with no front or back.

That being the case, sheet stock heated at the bending points should suffice. No need to heat the entire sheet , bend it and then cool it. Technology to heat and bend polycarbonate sheet is readily available.

As for reinforcement, polycarbonate may be purchased in extruded sections, I believe even square. Consider solvent bonding a "stick" across the underside of the back edge.

If that approach isn't appealing how about extruded Polycarbonate honeycomb sheet (Multi-wall sheet) for the top, which should support the weight, then bond some legs to it using clear or opaque sheet stock. This is almost a commodity item. Maybe find a manufacturer and purchase his trim scrap at a discount?

For example - http://www.plasticsmag.com/features.asp?fIssue=Sep/Oct-04&aid=4076

Check our some plastics distributors and fabricators if you haven't already done so to get some more ideas.

Hope that helps

[Mikey]

Try acrylic, much easier to heat, bend & glue as well as being available in many colors & tints. I would suggest that you either bend down or solvent weld a small (1/2"?) lip along the entire length of the front & back of the top platform. This will give strength &, if bending, be a cost effective way to add the ribs.

[Will Call]

Code: Select all

<div align="center" class="kochi"><input type="button" onClick="myFunction()" value="Contact Supervisor Kitty." /></div>

That's the code for the button, your caliber meets my needs, with margin. I will be visiting some with depryor on your voucher, technical discussions may become too long for average viewer so I ask you as moderator if posts of bulky technical work is appropriate if it is on-topic.

Instead of posting all you correspondence here, I suggest you and dpryor exchange via email.

ps - do you do scuba instruction for cats?

Nope, don't like cats.

[Nicholas Jordan]

Try acrylic, much easier to heat, bend & glue as well as being available in many colors & tints.

I am hoping to get colors and tints in acrylic - will be doing as Louis suggests to explore this. All I have right now is a film application from a high-end supplier that neither has the chroma I want nor could run a the small-scale I need. I am assuming my prototype piece is acrylic, until I can correctly identifiy the material.

I would suggest (.....) bend down (.....) a small (1/2"?) lip along the entire length of the front & back of the top platform. This will give strength &, if bending, be a cost effective way to add the ribs.

This is what my bench suggested, so this will be my first approach after considering what depryor and I come up with in discussions in email. My designer is hurricane evac right now so any info we can develop now will assist when she gets online.

(Will Call - noted as discussed.)