3d timelapse

I have to go to work, but I will have this page ready as soon as I can!

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oreo dipper

From noggin to robot fed Oreo in my mouth, this project only took me a few hours. Thank you SolidWorks, ChatGPT, and 3D Printing.

Backstory: instead of a static image, I wanted a cool video for the cover of this webpage. It was 6AM on a weekend—coffee mug in hand, craving a snack, and BAM—the Oreo Dipper was born. 

Mint is my favorite Oreo flavor.

Supreme ergonomics. The dip button is strategically placed by the cup handle for immediate on-call dunking. 

• COMPONENTS LISTS:
• Arduino UNO R3
• MS18 Servo Motor
• 9V Battery
• Limit Switch
• Hardware and 3D Printed Components (PLA)

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loadcell testing

loadcell testing

Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between stepper motors, motor drivers and torque as it relates to the holding current of a Nema 17 stepper motor.

• Practice iterative design
• Create procedure, test, and analyze data
• Derive a conclusion based on findings

Electrical Assembly

Follow the electrical schematic created during the planning phase of this project. Review motor driver documents to ensure that correct settings are made for their respective components. Nema 17 stepper motor has 1.8-degree steps, which means that a full revolution should experience 200 steps or pulses from the motor driver. The stepper motor also operates at a maximum of 1.5 Amps.

According to StepperOnline, the Nema 17 Stepper Motor's Black and Blue Leads correspond to the A +/- winding, while Green and Red represent B +/-. To ensure accuracy, it's recommended to test the continuity between these wires by measuring the resistance of each paired lead. Once you have verified the connections, wire the motor driver accordingly.

Load Cell Mount Design

My intention was to design a mount that would position the load cell such that the incoming force of the stepper motor arm was perpendicular to the surface of the cell. Later found issues with this configuration for a few reasons.

Based on where the loadcell was mounted (the left side of the below image), applied force from the arm was creating an additional moment about the right side member of the part, which was already experiencing forces from the clamp. In addition to this, the part was printed in an orientation that supplied weak layer adhesion against the moment forces from both the clamp and the motor. The load cell was also mounted where the cell and the base of the mount were both threaded. This prevented the screw from compressing the part to the base, missing out on additional overall stiffness.

Improvements:

• Have a thru hole for the M4 mounting bolts to compress the part to the mount.
• Re-orient the part so that the layers are parallel to the applied force.
• Rotate the loadcell 90 degrees such that it is parallel to the motor arm to reduce the bending moment applied to the mount.

Load Cell Setup

Setting up the load cell to measure force feedback from the motor arm. After wiring the components and running the test program, noticed that I was receiving inconsistent values with zero load.

This could have been a calibration issue since that procedure was not completed, but it was also likely due to discontinuity between the cell and the amplifier. I did not have a solder, so ordered one to ensure proper contact between the PCB and wires.

load cell calibration

Used the following open-source program for load cell calibration.

Measured the weight of a known object to use as my baseline for calibration. Placed the object on the load cell and adjusted the offset parameter until the load cell displayed the correct weight. offset was adjusted from -7050 to -220000.

Calculations

The NEMA 17 motor has a maximum holding torque of 0.41 Nm or 3.68 lb-in. This means that the motor should be able to hold a weight of 3.68 lbs one inch from its axis of rotation. The below calculation shows how much force would be applied from the arm if it were displaced by 3.937 in.

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Linear Actuator

Develop calculations that convert rotational movement to translational movement by defining the forces required to accelerate an object. Define minimum load and potential maximum load to select the correct motor for this task. Test mechanism and integrate safety features that restrict over travel. 

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EV Charging Concept

Developed a concept design for an EV charging station. Internal components included a 'smart' breaker that received a 240 volt power supply and could be controlled remotely through API commands from a program that was developed to monitor the system.

• Designed components to be UL Compliant 
• Included drafts in part design to be enable injection mold fabrication
• Learned to design with surfaces in Solidworks

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ROBOTICS

Project

MEGR 3156 is a course where students are given a design challenge and compete with other teams at the end of the semester. The received challenge was to design a remote vehicle that could traverse an obstacle course, ascend an incline, and transport an object across an 8” moat. The dimensions were restricted to 6” x 6” x 12” at the start and end of the run, but not restricted in between. Throughout the semester, students had to present a conceptual and final design review before approval to begin manufacturing. Students had to consider the cost and weight of the design in addition to physical elements such as dynamic forces, stresses, fatigue, and mechanical advantage.

• Worked on 3D CAD, fabrication, and the design.
• Did calculations and validations for the gripper/crane sub-assembly.
• Performed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on the gripper arms to optimize part by reducing mass and maintaining the minimum strength of the component with the added payload.

Computer Aided Design (CAD)

The robot was designed using Solid Works. 3D-printed parts make up most of the major components. This design choice was made because 3D printing enables rapid prototyping of complex parts while maintaining durability. With the unique configuration of parts, ABS proved to be a strong enough material with a safety factor included in the calculations.

Design

A lot of teams designed their robots to have a passive arm pivot across a gear with the claw at the end, but our approach was different. Where people wanted to stay behind the moat, we were willing to drive off it. This idea came from watching a video of how concrete bridges were assembled with massive machines. The base was built similarly to how FPV drones are assembled which you can see from the double-layered body.

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WIND TURBINE

For my Senior Design project, I worked on the calculations, design, and fabrication of a wind turbine. My objective was to optimize the parameters of different sub-assemblies for strength and efficiency (e.g. Encapsulate all critical components while reducing the front-facing area of the nacelle to minimize drag).

• Static and dynamic analysis for the structure and power generation components.
• Material selection based on minimum strength requirements and cost.
• Applied force calculations and constraints to select electrical and mechanical components.
• Learned about air foil design, applied lift/drag calculations, and design optimization.

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air engine

The Sophomore Design Air Engine Project from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) is an exciting project that challenges engineering students to design, build, and test a compressed air engine. This project is a part of the curriculum for sophomore-level mechanical engineering students at UNCC, and it aims to provide students with hands-on experience in engineering design, teamwork, and problem-solving.

The compressed air engine is a type of engine that uses compressed air as a source of energy to generate power. It operates by compressing air into a cylinder, which is then released to drive a piston. The compressed air can be stored in a tank, making it a convenient source of power for portable applications.

The Sophomore Design Air Engine Project at UNCC challenges students to design and build a compressed air engine that meets specific performance requirements. The project is typically carried out over one semester, and students work in teams to design and build their engines. The project begins with a design phase, where students use computer-aided design (CAD) software to create 3D models of their engines. The design phase also involves selecting appropriate materials, calculating engine parameters, and performing simulations to predict engine performance.

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injection molding

At the time, I was learning about plastics and castings. Interested in how the parts were manufactured, I thought it would be fun to design a machine that made small plastic parts. This is just an animation of the design, but during this process, I learned about the components of a die (ejection pins, mold cavity, cores, guide pins, etc.) and plastic part design.

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FULL stack data application

At Duke Energy, I worked as a reliability engineer. As simple as generating and distributing power may seem, there is a lot that goes into the industry, that we take for granted! I discovered that numerous outages are recorded and processed before being submitted to a database. This was a tedious task that required a lot of man-hours, so I designed a tool, using Python, that allowed users to upload data-packed spreadsheets and receive feedback (within seconds) on potential errors.

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FRC Robotics

Mechanical Design (2016 FIRST Robotics Competition)

The 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season was themed 'Stronghold' and tasked teams with designing and building robots that could breach the defenses of a medieval-inspired castle. The robots had to be able to cross rough terrain, scale obstacles, and shoot a ball into a high goal. The competition also included a cooperative element, where teams could earn extra points by working together to reach a common objective. The 2016 FRC season had a total of 3,166 teams competing in events across the world. The competition was designed to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields and to promote the ideals of gracious professionalism and teamwork as they compete in an exciting and challenging game.

Mechanical Design (2015 FIRST Robotics Competition)

The 2015 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season was themed 'Recycle Rush' and tasked teams with designing and building robots that could collect and sort recycling materials on a simulated landfill. The robots had to be able to pick up and stack totes, as well as place recycling cans and pool noodles on top of the stacks. The competition also included a coopertition element, where teams could earn extra points by working together to stack even higher. The 2015 FRC season had a total of 2,939 teams competing in events across the world. With the goal of increasing awareness of recycling and environmental conservation, the competition was designed to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM fields and to promote the ideals of gracious professionalism.

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