INTRODUCTIONIntroduction
In this project, we aim to design a single actuator mechanical linkage system that achieves the goal of continuously loading and processing (i.e. stamping, cutting, flattening) mass amounts of material. This will be accomplished in three simultaneous phases- a loading phase, a stamping phase, and a package translation phase. The focus of this project will be on the loading phase, which will include a mechanism that achieves a complex motion profile through both latching onto the package and translating it onto a new surface. The projected product can be used in a wide range of applications, most notably in the manufacturing industry where products must be labeled/embossed and materials must be cut/flattened into specific package volumes before being processed further.
DESCRIPTION OF COMPLEXITIES INVOLVEDDescription of Complexities Involved
Since this mechanism operates through a combination of three simultaneous phases, the synchronization of all three required sub-mechanisms will be difficult to achieve. The mechanism moving the package needs to be inactive when the package is being loaded and stamped while the vertical stamping mechanism needs to be fully in synchronization with the loading mechanism.
Furthermore, some of the sub-mechanisms will involve further coupled movements. The loading mechanism will need to follow a specified path to translate the package and it will also need to incorporate a mechanical object manipulator that can physically latch onto the object at the same time. The coordination profile of these movements will be difficult and even impossible to achieve in some scenarios with simple joints.
DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED MECHANISM Description of Proposed Mechanism
In the loading phase, the proposed mechanism is a combination of a rotational and linear planar joint coupled to a rotating bracket mechanism that dictates the semicircle motion profile of the manipulator. As the manipulator body translates linearly relative to the rotational joint, connected binary links will open and close the end effector [Fig. 1].
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Fig. 2: Depiction of stepped conveyor belt mechanism
PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORKProposed Scope of Work
The focus of this project will be on the object loading phase, which includes the manipulator body and the end effector. At the very minimum, the completed product will be able to hover over an object, pick it up, and place it at another specified location in one coupled motion. We predict that we will also be able to complete the coupled stamping and package translation mechanisms as well, however, we have been advised that this borders on the extremes of the time constraints we are given.
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Designing this robot is the most exciting part of this project. All of us are in Longhorn Racing, which means we have a lot of simulation and design implementation background. We all work in very mechanism-heavy subsystems (steering, suspension, and engine development) as well, so this project is an exciting opportunity for us to work on systems that feel very familiar. The most challenging aspect of this project would be the manufacturing of all the components. Since there are a lot of coupled mechanisms, there are a lot of opportunities for the mechanism to bind if the right tolerances are not properly achieved. Especially since we do not own the equipment ourselves (3D printers, laser cutters), we are not able to tune or precisely estimate the tolerances of our prototyped products.
PRELIMINARY DESIGN IDEASPreliminary Design Ideas
Pictured below is the proposed design idea for the loading mechanism [Fig. 3]. The upper crossbar (pictured in green) is constrained via an axle to the walls of the outer housing but allowed to rotate concentric to that axle. The outer bracket mechanism (pictured in blue) that dictates the path of the end effector is driven by a crank-slider input coupled to the stamping mechanism camshaft. The lower part of the manipulator mechanism (pictured in red) contains the two binary links that control the opening and closing of the end effector. This lower part is allowed to slide freely vertically through the upper crossbar via a linear bearing.
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