...
For each stage in the manufacturing process, we used the Laser Cutter at UT TIW to produce our links and machine parts. Assembly along the way was tricky because it was difficult to create temporary connections between links, as the bearings would fall out of the links. We could not secure the bearings into the links yet, as we had not yet determined whether this was our final design. Once we had hammered out all the kinks and laser-cut the final link dimensions, we began assembling the machine, gluing bearings into links, axles onto gears, and sliding everything into place in our self-contained mechanism.