3D Printing!

Here are some instances of 3D printing I used in my projects!

Vibram Inclinable Walkway

3D printing mini models

I made mini models for our initial ideas to show our sponsors what we were thinking. These models helped a lot to narrow down specifications, which let us finally start a full CAD design for our prototype. It also instilled a lot of trust in our sponsors since we made sure to visualize our ideas for better communication between us.

Camera rail system CAD with 3D printed connectors

3D printed supports for Camera Mount

This project required a camera system underneath the walkway to capture the footsteps. To attach the rail to the walkway, I 3D printed some brackets that connected 8020 bars at an angle to the main frame. This was beneficial to our design since it made attaching the bars easy, since less machining had to be done. They were also lightweight, so it wouldn’t require a lot more force to lift the device.

3D printed connectors on the physical build!

Go to Vibram Walkway Page

3D Printed Peristaltic Pump

For my peristaltic pump for my plants, I first made one by 3D printing! The pump was made of 2 main components, and was run using a nema 23 stepper motor. It worked well; it was able to handle 2 tubes to provide water to my plants! It did get a little messy since I glued in gt2 belts to provide more compression for the tube. I also lasercut some acrylic for a nice aesthetic cover, which I secured to the print using threaded heated inserts.

The 2 main 3D printed parts of the pump: the frame and the bearing holder

The complete 3D printed peristaltic pump!

Go to Peristaltic Pump Page

3D Printed Insert for CNC Vice

In the vice, there is a 3d printed part that I made to act as a wall for the stock to rest against. That is because the vice had corners cut out in it’s original wall to facilitate more complex cutting, but these corner cuts hurt our machining processes because less surface area for the vice to grip meant the part would loosen more easily. I made a 3d printed spacer so the stock could rest against the full walls of the vice in the center, and this fix drastically improved the success rate of our part alongside the changes in spindle speeds!

3d printed vice in action! It holds up in the milling procedure and does not make contact with any drill bit!

3d printed part in the vice (blue part). The part is a spacer for the piece to be in the center for maximum surface area

Go to Assembly Line Page

2.5 Degree of Freedom System - Drink Dispenser

Peristaltic Pump

The pump I designed featured a strong outer housing and a triangular mount that is attached to the motor. We put 3 ball bearings on a triangular piece and situated a silicon tube on the outskirts of the opening. The motor is situated on the back of the holder. The ball bearings squeeze the tube and push the liquid/air to create pressure as they rotate. The first prototype failed because the bearings were too close to the wall and thus created too much friction to rotate smoothly. We made the frame opening bigger for the second prototype and adjusted the spacing of the ball bearing rods accordingly.

Full CAD Designing

For the machine, we decided that there would be an x-axis slider on the bottom that would hold the drinks, and a y-axis slider on the top of some bars to hold the nozzle for liquids. Our prototype design was decided to be the x-direction slider that we would secure on the ground, and the y-direction slider would be on the top.

First, we made 4 pillars for the bars that we could screw in some quarter-inch screws from the bottom to secure them. Next, 4 corner connectors were made so the bars could be connected horizontally to another bar at the top. Then the y-direction connectors were made such that they would perpendicularly connect bars while also making a holder for the motor and pulley. The perpendicular bar would be holding the slider with the nozzle. The slider with the big square on top was made as the x-direction slider that holds cookies, which we repurposed to hold cups. The regular slider from the prototype was used in the y-direction. The nozzle (L-shaped piece) will be attached to the slider on top to act as a holder for a silicon tube.

Go to Dispenser Page