8 door "slide iris"

[Robo Von Bismark]

Forum member Shoeshine originally started this thread on the Shopbot forum about his 4 door iris

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=795&page=9

Another forum member proposed this design and I thought it was interesting enough to attempt and make work.



and a video of it working

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd131/msgprinter/?action=view&current=8doorslide.mp4

[darkling27]

That... is... awesome! 
Well done 

[Professor Fzz]

That's a new twist on the theme - very nice.

Shame I can't get the video to play - it lists "File has invalid structure".  I thought Flash was supposed to fix these incompatibilities; maybe Steve Jobs was right.

[arcwelder]

Watching Apple and Adobe go at it is like watching Hitler fight Pol Pot.

I get the same video error though. Maybe it's Flash, maybe it's user error. I think there was an update for Flash recently...have you installed it?

[Professor Fzz]

Firefox's plugin check says everything is up-to-date on my end.  Not sure what the issue is with the video.

[Affian]

I had no problems with the video. win7 + firefox + flash 10.1.
That's a cool iris, have you got any shots of the other side showing the drive wheel?

[Professor Fzz]

I don't know if you changed anything, but now the video works for me. 

That's very nice - the great thing about this one is that it keeps a nice shape at half-open positions, plus unlike the microscope irises I posted on the other thread, it can close all the way without the blades needing to be made of something really thin. 

What do you use to make these?  Seems like it would be a lot of work unless you've got a CNC mill or something similar.

[Robo Von Bismark]

That's a new twist on the theme - very nice.

Shame I can't get the video to play - it lists "File has invalid structure".  I thought Flash was supposed to fix these incompatibilities; maybe Steve Jobs was right.

It did not work initially on my work computer either, now it does. Very strange

Let me see if this works

That's a cool iris, have you got any shots of the other side showing the drive wheel?

I realized after I posted the photos that a pic of the other side would have been helpful.
Here is an exploded view showing all the component pieces.



The blue triangular shutters have two bolts which engage the straight tracks depicted in grey. One of these two bolts is longer and that alone engages the camplate depicted in red. As the red camplate is rotated it forces the blue shutters to move along the grey channels. I hope that helps explain the mechanism.

That's very nice - the great thing about this one is that it keeps a nice shape at half-open positions, plus unlike the microscope irises I posted on the other thread, it can close all the way without the blades needing to be made of something really thin. 

What do you use to make these?  Seems like it would be a lot of work unless you've got a CNC mill or something similar.

That was what was appealing about this design, it opens like a traditional iris yet closes completely. It also opens up other possibilities such as this square face idea



Could be interesting for a Hellblazer puzzle box type thing.

In regards to your question these were lasercut from mild steel. I work for a display/signage company and we have a lot of lasercutting done by outside companies. As a result I can get these done at a fairly low price (about $50 for the pieces in this design) with no setup costs or surcharge. Shoeshine's example of using what you have available to you made me think about better ways to make stuff.

[Armored Rah]

That's nice. I mean really nice. Really Really nice. I might just have to start working on one now. I have a brass porthole frame from a boat, but the glass is missing, so something like this might give me a reason to use the frame for something. My shop door needs a hatch to look through anyway.. LOL

[Flynn MacCallister]

That's a new twist on the theme - very nice.

Shame I can't get the video to play - it lists "File has invalid structure".  I thought Flash was supposed to fix these incompatibilities; maybe Steve Jobs was right.

Particularly if you don't have a connection like lightning, Photobucket can muck up your uploads. I have problems with it frequently.

As for the iris itself, fine work!

[Robo Von Bismark]

That's nice. I mean really nice. Really Really nice. I might just have to start working on one now. I have a brass porthole frame from a boat, but the glass is missing, so something like this might give me a reason to use the frame for something. My shop door needs a hatch to look through anyway.. LOL

Be advised that this design has a lot more friction than the other designs that have been posted. It works. but i think it will require some refining to be good.

Particularly if you don't have a connection like lightning, Photobucket can muck up your uploads. I have problems with it frequently.
As for the iris itself, fine work!

What is good for uploading video to show here?

[PatronZero]

Flickr allows for video uploads, mind if one has much to post I'd recommend acquiring a 'pro' account than the basic free type.

www.flickr.com

[heavyporker]

This is brilliance and craftsmanship personified!

This is gorgeous!

[passbyguy]

This reminds me of an origami piece that I learned in elementary. I might have to post a picture.

[Robo Von Bismark]

This is brilliance and craftsmanship personified!

This is gorgeous!

Well I cannot take credit for the craftsmanship since a machine did that, but thank you anyway.

This reminds me of an origami piece that I learned in elementary. I might have to post a picture.

Do post it Passbyguy it sounds interesting. Another one for the collection 

[passbyguy]

Robo - Here you go. I haven't made one in over 5 years, it was surprising i still knew how to make it.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Here's a link to the video.

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48169814@N07/4738780489/#secret10257eda73-w500-h375in/photostream/

[tophatdan]

wow, im curious how big you plan to build an iris like this?

door size? windown size? garage door size?!?!

[Robo Von Bismark]

Robo - Here you go. I haven't made one in over 5 years, it was surprising i still knew how to make it.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Here's a link to the video.

Spoiler: ShowHide

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48169814@N07/4738780489/#secret10257eda73-w500-h375in/photostream/

Have you got any details on how the shutter is shaped. Cant really tell from the pics.

wow, im curious how big you plan to build an iris like this?

door size? windown size? garage door size?!?!

This version is 350 x 350mm with a 180mm diameter opening. This is the largest i have made. I really have no idea how large any of these can be built (hence the experiments). As size increases elements such as rollerbearings would need to be added to deal with the extra weight and friction. I think you could maybe go as large as a 1 metre overall/520mm opening, for this version.

[passbyguy]

The center part is shaped like an octagon. And depending on how you close it, shrinks into a smaller octagon or closes in sections.

[DrJames]

Hello - I am desperately looking for some dimensioned (preferrably) schematics for this 8 door slide iris, for prototype use in a medical application.  Robo, not sure if you're still around...

Forum member Shoeshine originally started this thread on the Shopbot forum about his 4 door iris

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=795&page=9

Another forum member proposed this design and I thought it was interesting enough to attempt and make work.



and a video of it working

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd131/msgprinter/?action=view&current=8doorslide.mp4

[DrJames]

Thanks, Robo, for your direct message.  Unfortunately I cannot reply back to you personally with an email since I am a new member and this forum has not given me the rights!  As an admin, can you assist?

incommunicado,

DrJames

Forum member Shoeshine originally started this thread on the Shopbot forum about his 4 door iris

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=795&page=9

Another forum member proposed this design and I thought it was interesting enough to attempt and make work.



and a video of it working

http://s223.photobucket.com/albums/dd131/msgprinter/?action=view&current=8doorslide.mp4

[bicyclebuilder]

I've been lurking this thread for a while. It always looks cool how an iris opens and closes.
As to putting it into the dimentions of a window or door, I guess your mechanism might just work. Most irisses have overlapping door panels. They need to be thin to overlap all the way around. Your's can have panels that are as thick as you want, 'cause they don't overlap.
Turning it into a functional door (let's say 2 meter opening), it seems you need to have about a meter clearence all the way around to let the panels slide into. Meaning you have to make a sloth in the wall, ceiling and floor. Also a way to seal the edges. Perhaps you can use those door brissles you see on common doors. An effective way to clean the gaps, might be handy to. But when you pull all that off, you'll have an awesome door!

[Dr Insidious T BoneHammer]

That is awesome.  Now if you could get that sloth to operate it that would be interesting.  Three toes are better than one.

[oldskoolpunk]

Another neat feature of this design is that it could be a usable door.  If you rotate it by 1/16 of a rev, it will present a flat door threshold.  Eliminates the hassle of climbing through a hatch.

[bicyclebuilder]

That is awesome.  Now if you could get that sloth to operate it that would be interesting.  Three toes are better than one.

Slot, I ment to say slot. Not as in "Ice Age" Sid. 
I could have made a far wors typo with the word "Slot"