7.3. Tutorial: Mechanical Design using the Laser Cutter

These notes are meant to accompany an in-class tutorial presentation, and may not necessarily stand alone. For general reference, see also Mechanical Behavior.

Image: Planetary Gear by Rob Ives

http://notes.robives.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/planet-a39.jpg

Image: joinery example from Makezine

http://i1.wp.com/cdn.makezine.com/uploads/2012/03/twist-joint-01.png

Image from Laser-Cuttable Flat-Pack Mechanical Design Kit under development

../_images/pan-tilt-oblique1.png

7.3.1. Overview

This is a quick take on practical mechanical design techniques for machines we will fabricate using the laser cutters.

kinematics:the properties of movement
structure:the rigid parts
mechanism:the moving parts
actuation:the sources of mechanical energy

7.3.1.1. Kinematics

  • degree of freedom (DOF)
  • joint
    • hinge or pivot (rotational joint, 1 DOF)
    • translational joint (linear joint, 1 DOF)
    • universal joint (two pivots, 2 DOF)
    • ball joint (spherical joint, 3 DOF)
    • flexure
  • conservation of energy

7.3.1.2. Structure

7.3.1.3. Mechanism

  • joints
  • bearings
    • plain bearing (sliding contact)
    • washers (sliding contact)
    • bushing (sliding contact)
    • ball bearing (rolling contact)
  • transmissions
  • linkages
  • shafts
  • gears
  • timing belts

7.3.1.4. Actuation

  • descending weight
  • clock spring
  • flywheel
  • hobby servo
  • DC motor
  • stepper motor
  • DC motor linear actuator
  • servomotor
  • pneumatic cylinder

7.3.2. Laser Considerations

7.3.3. FlatPack Kit

The course includes a lot of materials in the Laser-Cuttable Flat-Pack Mechanical Design Kit (under development).