OIDD 4110: How to
Make Things
Designing and utilising 3D printed molding and casting techniques to create a small-scale run of functional products, Fall 2025.
Tea-scented candles & a Mahjong calendar
Skills Built in the Process!
And a significant amount of hands-on fabrication experience 🙂
I. A Mahjong Calendar and Puzzle to Promote Good Habits
Reimagining the familiar satisfaction of placing a jigsaw piece for a homesick family member who recently transferred to Penn. Drawing inspiration from Mahjong, a game central to our shared upbringing, I conceived a functional ‘calendar puzzle’ that merges cultural symbolism with daily ritual.
The design required modeling multiple layers in Rhino and Illustrator, including the base, frame, and thirty one individual tiles. Each tile comprised three laminated layers: a backpainted acrylic core, clear acrylic middle, and laser-etched wooden top that carries both numerals and Mahjong inspired patterning. In total, ninety three pieces were prepped, painted, and assembled. The final work serves as both a functional calendar and a meaningful gift rooted in new beginnings.
II. Small Production Run of
Chinese Tea Infused Candles
Working with Graduate students in Penn’s Integrated Product Design program, we spent two months designing, molding, and producing a set of 50 tea-scented candles using 3D fabrication techniques and industry-standard materials.
Inspired by the art of East Asian tea craft, each candle was infused with notes of jasmine, green tea, and bamboo, and encased in a gentle layer of gel soy wax. We then hand painted and finished each candle with multiple coatings of a seal-proof solvent. To capture consumer surplus, our team employed product-line pricing, and made a final profit margin of 71% from $1,600 in revenue.
Luca Picazo 