Document Type

Restricted Campus Only

Publication Date

4-28-2026

Abstract

Eco-material sheets often shrink, warp, or cure unevenly during drying, making it difficult for Makerspace users to prepare repeatable samples for testing and prototyping. The Organic Textiles project addressed this problem by designing and validating a makerspace-compatible thermo-mechanical press for post-processing already formed eco-material sheets. The final prototype uses heated aluminum platens, guided vertical compression, closed-loop temperature control, and a laptop-based graphical user interface to soften, press, and cool representative sheets under controlled conditions.

The final design met several major project objectives. The closed-loop temperature control system maintained platen temperature within ±2 °C at tested setpoints of 45 °C, 55 °C, and 65 °C, which satisfies the Charter requirement of regulating temperature within ±5% of the setpoint. The prototype also supported a programmed pressing cycle through the laptop-based GUI and was built using makerspace-accessible methods, including machined aluminum platens, routed wood components, 3D printed mounts and rail guides, commercially available heating pads and sensors, and a printed circuit board developed from the original breadboarded electronics. The final parts cost was $749.99, which is below the $1,200 project budget.

Full-cycle testing showed that the prototype successfully reduced warping in representative spent-coffee-ground composite sheets. Sample 1 showed a 67.57% reduction in flatness variation, while Sample 2 showed a 76.08% reduction. RMS deviation decreased by 85.58% for Sample 1 and 84.36% for Sample 2, indicating that the press reduced the overall surface variation of the sheets rather than only correcting isolated high points. These results exceeded the optional 20% warping reduction objective and demonstrated that the prototype can make representative eco-material sheets flatter and more repeatable for material testing and fabrication.

The original Charter defined material consistency in terms of thickness accuracy and thickness precision. Because the final prototype functions as a post-processing press for already dried sheets, final testing evaluated surface flatness using 3D scan data rather than direct grid-based thickness measurements. The prototype therefore partially satisfied the original thickness objectives: it demonstrated strong improvement in out-of-plane surface consistency, but future testing should measure average thickness and within-sheet thickness variation across the full 8 × 8 inch sheet area.

The prototype should be considered a working prototype, but several improvements are recommended before routine Makerspace use. The motor exceeded the revised 3000 g positioning requirement and reached a maximum lift load of 4629.6 g, but it did not meet the original 10,000 g motorized actuation target, so final compression still depends on manual tightening. Future versions should add a higher-torque actuation system or compression feedback, improve platen alignment and edge support, and reduce the 19 minute 33 second cooldown time through active cooling.

Comments

Dr. Keith A. Bartels, Team Adviser

Download

Share

COinS