4) Manufacturing and Assembly

Manufacturing & Assembly:

        The laser cutters and 3D printers at Texas Inventionworks were used to create the 32 individual parts that the final mechanism consisted of. These parts consisted of 10 pieces of laser-cut acrylic used for the box, platform, and linkages and 22 3D printed pieces for various connections and components. This high number of 3D printed components was primarily needed for the manufacturability of our design. Without the use of bearings, many pins required end-caps or retaining rings to constrain the motion of the linkages that they were connecting while still allowing us to slide the pin through a smaller-diameter hole during assembly. 

Figure 4.1. Linkages Fresh off the Laser Cutter

        During assembly, it was identified that the larger diameter sections of some of the 3D printed pins did not provide adequate surface area at the ends to rigidly attach to structural components or certain linkages and some misalignment was being allowed. This was quickly remediated by re-printing a number of critical pins with larger diameters to properly constrain the linkages, which can be identified by noting the replacement of some smaller white pins in Figure 4.2 with larger black pins in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.2. Early Assembly Stage of Structure, Pins, and Linkages

        With all design issues identified and resolved, final assembly of the mechanism could commence. Figure 4.3 displays an exploded view of the linkages, pins, and back structural wall to provide an idea of the assembly process of the mechanism. In general, the order of assembly started with the linkages and pins attached only to the back structural wall to start to form the actual mechanism, then required the alignment and installation of the platform to ensure that proper clearance between it and the mechanism was achieved, and finally involved waterproofing and securing the remaining structural components.

Figure 4.3. Exploded View of Mechanism

Figure 4.4. Final Assembly of Mechanism