Manufacturing:
We employed three technologies to manufacture our product:
- 3d printing
- Laser Cutting
- Machining
We used 3d printing with PLA to manufacture parts of our design that required complex curvatures. For example, our crushing link, pushing link and bottle holder were all too complex to reasonably machine and or laser cut. Below are CAD images of said components
We used laser cutting with 6mm thick plywood and acrylic. We used plywood for its rigidity and strength while we used acrylic for its transparent properties. We chose to laser cut since it was the most time effective method of achieving our desired geometries. All of our laser-cut parts were designed specifically to be cut in 2D by a laser. We primarily used laser cutting for the body of our product as well as for linkages. Below is an image of our final design that depicts the use of both.
We used machining to cut our stainless-steel ground rods. More specifically, we used a bandsaw as it was the best tool for a simple rod cut. We decided to machine our rods to length due to the high strength of stainless steel and the sheer power required to cut it.
Assembly:
To assemble the housing of our product, we used M4 bolts and nuts as they were adequately sized for both our smallest and largest parts. Moreover, we chose to use bolts as they were easy to disassemble as problems and/or mistakes arose during assembly. We had considered nails, epoxy, and glue; however, these methods were far too permanent for our comfort. Below are images of our housing brackets that actively use M4 screws to attach to acrylic and wooden housing components.
To connect our bearings and linkages together, we decided that press fitting was the best solution. We designed our linkages with a -0.2mm tolerance. This allowed for both bearings and steel dowels to be press fit using a vice while maintaining optimal rigidity and minimum slippage. Below is an image of a steel dowel that is press fit into several parts.
