Prototyping

Needle

The needle was manufactured with a 2mm rod. The rod was grinded down and cut and the tip was sharpened. We cut the eye close to the tip of the needle, which is the different to a regular needle whose eye is at the back.

Hook

As the needle is pushed through the material, the needle pushes down the ramp and the thread hooks onat the end of the track. The thread stays in place as the needle retracts, allowing the beads to be dispensed on the thread. The ramp is made from spring spring steel with a small rectangular hook cut out also made from spring steel.

Pusher

The pusher was resin printed and sits inside a casing. It cannot come out of the side, as the casing shape prevents it from doing so. A spring sits below the pusher with a steel rod ensuring the pusher retracts automatically.

Cutting

The thread is cut simultaneously as the bead is crimped. We used X-ACTO knives attached to both sides of the pliers to easily cut the thread. The two blade faces meet as the beads are crimped, cutting the thread efficiently.

Bead Dispensing

The rack has bead holders where the cartridge of beads sit and are dispensed from. A spring from a stapler is used with a sliding mechanism to bring the beads forward.

Pliers

The crimpers were modeled in SolidWorks and sent to ShapeWays to be manufactured. They are made of 316L - Stainless Steel and fit nicely into the rack. They are very strong and can crimp the beads easily, as they are designed to mimic the shape of typical bead crimpers.

Assembly & Casing

The casing was created by laser cutting acrylic. Screw holes were pre-cut and tapped to the correct size.The screws attached the top and side acrylic pieces to the case. The logo was creating by rastering using the laser cutter.

Stitch in Jeans

The stitch in the jeans is very flexible and reliable. It is made of elastic and has two crimped beads on either side. It can withstand the washing machine and does not break easily.