Oversized frame
The 340 mm frame exceeded the printer bed.
ResponseRe-architected the walls as four mirrored modules assembled around the playing surface.
01 · Mechanical product system
Curling
Minigame.
A physical tabletop game engineered through repeated CAD, printing, assembly and gameplay tests.
Frame · Adjustable launchers · Weighted stones · Replaceable playing surface
01 / Project overview
From digital play to a durable physical system.
The team translated a compelling digital toy-curling experience into a repeatable tabletop game for the school community. The final build coordinates a modular frame, adjustable spring launcher, weighted stones and an acrylic playing surface.
256 mmPrint-bed constraint
25+ hrsFinal component printing
27 pagesEngineering log
v27Archived final model
02 / Design challenge
Coordinate motion, fit and fabrication.
The build had to remain printable on a limited bed, keep the stone centred while the player changed aim, survive repeated use and provide predictable interfaces between printed parts and acrylic.
Launcher alignment
Early aiming geometry moved the stone and loaded a weak pivot.
ResponseDeveloped a captured donut mechanism centred on the stone to preserve alignment.
Support damage
Supports inside the acrylic slot damaged a critical interface.
ResponseChanged the wall cross-section for support-free printing and easier replacement.
Unreliable nominal gaps
A 0.2 mm CAD gap produced loose printed interfaces.
ResponseRetuned each fit from physical evidence and increased guidance surfaces.
03 / Engineering approach
Design the whole system, then isolate the next uncertainty.
Yiming recreated the acrylic board in Fusion 360, developed the frame and launcher geometry, divided large parts for fabrication and used small print tests to resolve overhang, strength, ballast and tolerance decisions before committing to final components.
Frame the problem
Define the intended school setting, play sequence and essential product interfaces.
Design around constraints
Modularise the frame and preserve the stone’s launch centre while changing aim.
Print, observe, measure
Expose weak cylinders, excess friction, wobble and inaccurate clearances.
Refine the system
Strengthen guidance, replace weak geometry and tune printed interfaces.
Validate through use
Complete the two-player system, publish rules and test it with the community.
Prototype development
Physical evidence drove each revision.
Testing & iteration
A working prototype is an argument supported by evidence.
Test pieces revealed purge-line conflicts, friction, wobble, weak pivots and fit errors that were not obvious in CAD. Each failure became a specific geometry change.
Documented contributions
- Recreated the board and developed frame and launcher geometry in Fusion 360.
- Split the frame for a 256 × 256 mm build plate.
- Redesigned overhangs, feet, ballast chambers, covers and interfaces for fabrication.
- Tuned clearances and developed a weighted curling stone.
- Recorded failures, fixes, assembly and evaluation in a dated log.
Contribution boundary
Concept selection, launcher brainstorming, testing, rules and school deployment were completed with Junze Wang. Individual claims above are limited to tasks explicitly recorded in the shared engineering log.
06 / Outcome
Playable, documented and reusable.
The outcome is a complete two-sided tabletop system and a traceable engineering record from early concepts to community use.