Mech Proto
In the second semester of my first year at Olin College of Engineering, I took the Mechanical Prototyping class and created various projects with my classmates. In this class I improved on my SolidWorks skills, utilized various fabrication methods such as 3D printing, laser cutting, plasma cutting, welding, and manual machining.
Two Speed Manual Transmission
The objective of this project was to create a smooth mechanism with tight tolerances while learning about the inner workings of manual transmissions. In this sense, this project was a great success as we achieved every goal we had set. The main skills I developed through this project are mechanical assembly design in SolidWorks, sheet metal fabrication, and gear/assembly tolerancing.
I was design lead on creating the shifter mechanism itself. I designed the inner and outer selectors to slide easily over the helical gears and cause them to mesh with the output shaft.
A challenge that I encountered during this project was tolerancing the 3D printed parts that needed to either spin freely on the 8mm shaft or have a sufficient friction fit to move with the shaft. I resolved this after the first prototype by adjusting the dimensions within my CAD. Another challenge was not receiving the proper bearings or bushings needed prior to the due date for this project. We resolved this by improvising and drilling out our bearing/bushing holes to hardware sizes that were in stock in MechProto storage. Our final challenge was fitting within the 12”x12”x5” size restriction. Due to this restriction we had to scrap some previous designs that included a clutch mechanism as well as make certain parts such as the shifter detachable.
aUTOMATIC pOOL cUE
The objective of this project was to create a automatic pool cue that would both have enough force to propel pool balls a sufficient distance as well as package it all within a lightweight and portable package. While we achieved all of the objectives of the project we believe there still is room for improvement within optimizing for light weighting and making our design more compact. The main skills I developed through this project are manual machining, CNC machining, mechanical design, and assembly design within SolidWorks.
The part that I was design lead on was the variable trigger. Since in pool one needs to adjust the amount of force used within a shot, the trigger of our automatic pool cue needs to have the ability to release the cue at any point within the draw distance. I created a rail along which the trigger latch slides and can be pulled up no matter how far drawn the cue itself is.
A challenge that I encountered during this project was ensuring that the complex mechanical aspects of my part of the design integrated well with the parts my teammates designed. This issue was resolved through careful communication, planning, and setting deadlines for design locking each of our individual parts. Another challenge was the lack of tolerancing possible with using the plasma cutter. We resolved this by using the waterjet instead to cut the portions of our design that needed tight tolerances. Our final challenge was machining some of the more complex parts of our design as we needed parts that could tolerate high forces. To resolve this we consulted with the shop staff and found out that our parts could be machined via the CNC mill.
Initial design sketch
Initial design sketch
First trigger iteration
First iteration of final trigger design
Lathed pin and CNC milled trigger slide
Assembling the final design