The Air
Droplet
Design and Prototyping Process
-
![A comparison of wax, oversize resin, and final model teardrop shapes, alongside fipple design iteration cylinders, showcasing various stages of a design process on a white background.]()
Prototyping
Moldable wax was used to create a proof-of-concept model. Form was then explored in Autodesk Fusion, printed in Rigid 4K resin and scaled to meet stock requirements.
-
![Diagram showing the design of a form within a stock, illustrating cavity machining with an angled whistle cavity for air outlet, and form angled for machining.]()
Manufacturing plan
Whistle body was positioned within stock to allow cavity to be machined precisely.
-
![CAD Model]()
CAD Model
The final design was modeled in Autodesk Fusion and translated into CAM. The fipple was designed for manufacturing on a manual mill/lathe.
-
![Sketch of a water whistle design with labeled parts, including a chamber, fipple, airflow separator, and hole for threading a string. Features like slight flats for vice clamping and a potentially flat bottom are noted.]()
Initial concept sketches
Ideation began with a collection of sketches. Functionality and organic form were chiefly important throughout my initial design process.
Manufacturing & Assembly
Outside of squaring stock and facing wax, the air droplet required three manufacturing setups.
Front Pocket
Whistle Cavity
The fipple was made on the manual mill/lathe and the whistle was assembled using an arbor press.
Back Pocket