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  • Week 1 (Principles and Practices, Project Management)
  • Week 2 (Computer-Aided Design)
  • Week 3 (Computer-Controlled Cutting)
  • Week 4 (Electronics Production)
  • Week 5 (3D Scanning and Printing)
  • Week 6 (Electronic Design)
  • Week 7 (Computer-Controlled Machining)
  • Week 8 (Embedded Programming)
  • Week 9 (Mechanical Design)
  • Week 10 (Output Devices)
  • Week 11 (Machine Building)
  • Week 12 (Molding and Casting)
  • Week 13 (Input Device)
  • Week 14 (Composites)
  • Week 15 (Networking and Communications)
  • Week 16 (Interface and Application Programming)
  • Week 17 (Applications and Implications)
  • Week 18 (Invention, Intellectual Property, and Business Model)
  • Week 19 (Project Development)
• Final Project

WEEK 17 – APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Weekly assignment:

This week's assignment consist in planning and defining the scope of the final project by answering some questions

What will it do?

My final project is a vending machine for components and/or small tools (or everything you need in your Lab...). It is composed of a frame with eighth bars holding just as many boxes. The frame rotates on it's central axis powered by a stepper motor. When a specific box is selected the frame rotates to position it above a ramp which is placed in front of the mechanism. The ramp is in the inner side of the machine and it is connected to a container wich is placed outside the case. In this way everything is easily accessible from the outer side of the machine

Who has done what beforehand?

Everybody knows how a vending machine looks like and probably how it works, since in most cases it has a transparent cover in the front side. So I didn't focus so much on others available versions, I mainly browse some picture on the internet just to get a summary idea. Especially because me and Nicola tried to make something like this during the machine weeks. So in a certain sense I could be someone who has done it beforehand (or at least tried to do...)

What materials and components will be required?

• Plywood panels 60X100cm

• Transparent plexiglass board

• Metal bars (3mm diameter)

• Hollow metal bars (6mm diameter)

• Hollow metal bars (8mm diameter)

• PLA filament (black and withe/transparent)

• Bipolar stepper motor and stepper driver

• Solenoid (later I've changed it with a servomotor)

• Bolt, screws and nuts

• Various elecrtonic components and wires for the board

• Ball bearings (finally I've found the way to avoid boxes to turn upside down)

• Springs (finally I've also found the way to let boxes come back in position ;)

Where will they come from?

Electronic components, actuators, screws, springs and bearings I need are all available in the Lab. The only things I've bought were wood panels and metal bars, since the most of my machine is designed by me and 3D printed in the Lab

How much will it cost?

• Poplar plywood panel (6mm) 60X100cm: 9€

• Birch plywood panel (6mm) 60X100cm: 7€ (2 pcs)

• Transparent plexiglass (3mm) 50X50cm: 15€

• Metal bars 3mmX100cm: 2€

• Hollow metal bars 6mmX100cm: 2€

• Hollow metal bars 8mmX100cm: 2€

• PLA filament: approximately 15€

• Bipolar stepper motor: 22€

• Pololu A4988 stepper driver: around 5€

• Servomotor: 4€

• Bolt, screws and nuts: less than 3€

• Ball bearings 8mm: less than 3€

• Springs: less than 1€

Total: 85€

What parts and systems will be made?

The external case and the ramp/container are made with wood, so I'm going to laser cut them. There is also a front panel made with transparent plexiglass, and I'm going to laser it as well. The actuators holder (stepper and servo), the bar frame, bar joints and all the boxes parts are 3D printed

What processes will be used?

• Laser cutting

• 3D modeling

• 3D printing

• Electronic design and production

• Embedded programming

• Output device

• Mechanical design

What tasks need to be completed?

I would like to make the machine as indipendent and complete as possible (no need of a computer to be driven), so I would like to add a touchpad to select boxes and maybe an LCD screen to send a visual feedback of what's going on

What questions need to be answered?

• The first question I want to answer is how to reduces the number of degrees of freedom to the least, because I would like to make the machine as simple as possible optimizing the mechanism.

• Another one is in which way I can let boxes come back in the horizontal position once the content has been released, doing it in the easiest way without using other actuators.

• I also need to find the way to keep boxes in position during the frame rotation, avoiding them to turn upside down.

• Wich way I can make the rounded lateral cover

• What kind of machanism/actutor I can use to incline boxes

What is the schedule?

• 25th May-4th June: project design

• 5th June-10th June: electronic design and production

• 11th June-14th June: making components and assembling

• 15th June-18th June: problem solving

• 19th June: project presentation

How will it be evaluated?

I spent very lots of time designing and 3D modeling the machine as I imagined it. I wanted to make it cute, simple in the mechanism, practical and as compact as possible, removing everything was not really necessary. I also tried to solve all design and mechanical problems I've found throughout the way. Even if the movement is simple it was not so easy to realize it. Then I hope all my aims will be reached