Foam-Core
Foam
Core Prototyping
GETTING YOUR IDEAS OUT OF YOUR HEAD
AND INTO THE REAL WORLD.
Prototyping
y It is necessary
y to be able to conveyy yyour ideas to
others effectively.
y A picture is worth a 1000 words . . .
y . . ., but a three-dimensional prototype is most often
needed.
y A prototype:
{
{
{
is inexpensive
is quickly made (in comparison to the final product)
represents the proposed product or device
Types of Prototypes
y There are several types
yp of p
prototypes:
yp
{ Concept drawings (simple sketches to get the ball rolling)
{ Virtual computer simulations (like Solid Edge)
{ Mathematical
M h
i l models
d l (M
(MathCAD,
hCAD MatLab
M L b and
d Excel)
E l)
{ Clay models (often seen in the automotive industry)
{ Foam
Foam-core
core (like the one you are about to make)
y Some prototypes are fully functional, …
y … but many are just spatial representations.
Foam-Core
y Foam-core ((or Foam Board)) is one material that can
be used for quickly prototyping your ideas.
y Foam-core is a composite material consisting of:
{
{
{
An outer layer of card stock
And inner layer of foam (like Styrofoam)
And another layer of card stock
Tools for Working with Foam-Core
y Only
y a few basic tools are needed for Foam-Core:
{ Cutting mat (so you don’t cut up the table top!)
{ Cutting knife (Exacto, or box cutter) with a sharp blade
{ Metal
M l ruler
l (f
(for measuring
i and
d making
ki straight
i h cuts))
{ Pencil or a pen (for marking the cut lines)
{ Tape (clear packing tape works well)
{ Hot glue can be used also, but not required (low-temperature!)
Getting Started with Foam-Core
y Make sure y
you have a g
good,, solid surface to work on
and BE SURE TO USE THE CUTTING MAT!
y Let’s start with just cutting a straight line
y Since foam-core has three layers, it is usually best to
make three cuts:
{
{
{
Cut through the top layer of card stock
Cut through the layer of foam
Cut through the bottom layer of card stock
y If you try to cut through all three layers at once, you
will end up
p with a jjagged
gg mess!
Cutting a Line
y First,, measure and mark the line.
{ You may want to start at the 1” mark on your ruler, as the scale
on some rulers does not go all the way to the end.
yB
Be sure your fi
fingers are outt off th
the way!!
y Make the THREE cuts.
Types of Corners
y At some p
point yyou are g
going
g to want to jjoin yyour
foam-core pieces together – there are at least three
types of corners that you can make:
{
{
{
l
d
Overlapped
Mitered
Rabbeted
Overlapped
Mitered
Rabbeted
Overlap Corner
y The overlap
p jjoint is the simplest
p
corner to make.
y Simply cut the two pieces and tape them together to
create the corner.
y It helps to lay the tape down (sticky side up) on your
work surface and place the first piece of foam-core
on top
t off the
th ttape.
Miter Corner
y Mitering
g a corner makes for a nice clean outside,, as
there is no break in the material.
y Cut a V-shaped groove in the foam-core.
y The angle of the “V” determines the angle of the
resulting corner.
Rabbeted Corner
y The rabbeted corner g
gives a nicer looking
g corner
than the overlap, and is easier than making the
mitered corner.
y Cut through one layer of cardstock, and the foamcore, but not through the other layer of cardstock.
Only cut through two
layers of the foam-core.
Cut at 90
90-degrees
degrees from
your first cut to form the
rabbet.
A rabbet!