Magic Box - (Guys we could build this)

[ZionPhil]

Brian, you can make this right? We don't need it to be gold-plated or anything.

[BeeAmaker]

I was wondering why you weren't building one to begin with.

[bvandiepenbos]

sure, a simple box shaped enclosure with a way to turn acetone to a vapor, arduino for timer.
I don't like the whole heating a flammable liquid in a enclosed box thing. seems like a explosion hazard.
Plus acetone vapors are nasty to breath, box better have a good carbon filter of some sort.

Does anybody know if heat is the only way to make acetone into a vapor?
Could it be atomized by spraying out of a fine nozzle? then blowing it gently around inside enclosure?
or
you may have seen one of those water wall fountains where a thin sheet of water runs down over a large flat surface... what i am thinking is a flat metal plate at a incline then dribble small amount of acetone across it's surface to wet it, then excite the plate with a ultrasonic device from one of those ultrasonic parts cleaner tanks, then blow air across plate picking up the fine spray on atomized acetone?
crazy talk?

[BeeAmaker]

You don't need to heat it, no. Heating it just speeds the process up. Acetone by it's self will produce fumes as it evaporates. Your idea of running the Acetone over a plate is a good one as it would promote evaporation and speed up the fumigation.

However - I have been thinking about this kickstarter and I'm not fully convinced. They don't actually show one in operation. The box looks to be made out of plastic - humm. Does the Acetone only affect the plastic inside the box? For the price I don't think it is made out of aluminum and glass.

EDIT
And why is it 54 days to go??? That is a long KS.

[bvandiepenbos]

hah! good point, the enclosure needs to be metal and glass.
ya, I don't think it is a real product yet.
I think there is a patent on vapor smoothing?
there was a ks about a year ago I think, but it disappeared.

could this be a makerhive ks project to make money for the hive?

[bvandiepenbos]

your tank controller would be perfect to control it, right?
a few fans, a little pump, LED lights, carbon filter, etc.

Is there a sensor available to detect amount of vapor?

could you see the vapor better if laser pointers where shined inside, maybe even scanned back and forth??

I will build the enclosure...
simple aluminum extrusions frame and glass on 5 sides, stainless steel sheet on bottom.

[jimustanguitar]

What about a cheap walgreens vaporizer? They have non-heating ones that use spinning wheels and ultrasound to vaporize water.

[BeeAmaker]

Apr 8, 2014 10:32:59 GMT -5 jimustanguitar said:

What about a cheap walgreens vaporizer? They have non-heating ones that use spinning wheels and ultrasound to vaporize water.

Well, we could maybe use it as a basis for our own design, but the parts would need to be Acetone friendly

[ZionPhil]

You have to heat Acetone WAY above what is required for vapor smoothing for it to be a flammable hazard.

[bvandiepenbos]

but if it can be done without heat that seems safer and maybe easier to control amount of smoothing?

I am thinking device should have two separate chambers of same volume, one for part and one to "stage" the vapor. Then fans with damper to adjust how much vapor gets into smoothing chamber and how long. then when preset time is up the vapor is drawn back into staging chamber to stop process. THEN you open door and remove part, so very little fumes should get out into your workspace.
may also need a "drying" cycle to let part harden.

Just random thoughts, none of it may even work or make sense.

[BeeAmaker]

I think it makes a lot of sense. You can recover more of the fumes that way also - your Acetone will last longer if not allowed to escape into the air. Not to mention I'm sure the FDA, EPA, DOT, CIA, FFA, and a bunch of other 3 letter abbreviations will be putting a stop to toxic fumigation. Remember Formaldehyde?