I collaborated with a four person team to recreate a 1990’s La Pavoni Europiccola lever actuated espresso machine in 3ds Max. We disassembled the machine that one of our teammates owned and used calipers to dimension each part. For parts that were tapped and threaded, we utilized a set of metric screws and nuts to get the correct threading. We then modeled the expresso machine in OnShape, utilizing the top down design techniques inherent to OnShape to make multiple parts easily.

My responsibility was to recreate the heating element as well as electrical connections while making sure to accurately model the function of an AC induction boiler. One issue I ran into was trying to model the internals of the heating element without actually taking it apart since I didn't want to risk breaking the machine. I used dimensional analysis of known parts and blue prints as well as photos on the internet to figure internal components such as the heating coil and various o-rings. Another issue was understanding how the heating coil worked in order model the function of the connections accurately. For example, a current path had to make sense in the model so as not to short out the heating element, and understanding how an induction heater operated so as to model required components. I also considered the manufacturing process of each part for accuracy, such as stamped and folded aluminum parts would only have bends and fillets on one face.

We then imported all of our parts into Autodesk 3ds Max to render a collapse and function animation. We used a liquid simulation for the coffee and free light for our photometric lighting. We used a physical camera in order to control the view and an Arnold renderer.