Expo Centrifuge

by Fablab2024 in Craft > Reuse

649 Views, 11 Favorites, 0 Comments

Expo Centrifuge

716D94C1-84F5-4AC1-8C27-2AF0B29484E7.jpeg

Our innovative Expo Centrifuge system is designed to maximize the utility of your writing instruments. This device efficiently recovers the last remnants of ink or liquid from pens, ensuring that every drop is utilized and waste is minimized.

Downloads

Supplies

4B5959B0-0E37-48EB-B505-AD79B9EDF122.jpeg


As for the materials, we used:

608ZZ ball bearing [6]

M8 L50 mm hex bolt [4]

M8 nut [7]

M8 washer [8]

M5 L60 mm [2]

M5 winged nut [2]

Rubber sheet 1mm thick

Sketching

68E845B0-D896-45D4-876C-C3CD18EE66BA.jpeg
873A7898-0629-4B24-8311-9BEA477EF374.jpeg
CD8327E6-974F-4727-AC90-03DB5FAA33FF.jpeg
C5EA8C5D-D84F-442F-951E-8C7DE1DE1D2D.jpeg
248120A3-EDAE-4E8D-A448-D06B2B3FCFB7.jpeg
F7055C44-369F-4E8A-BA43-BAC7CA883B9F.jpeg
4C5FA559-E245-4EA3-ACAF-DB691C17B5A1.jpeg
C4736FFE-722C-4B66-B72F-6E5A32CE63CE.jpeg
A683DBF8-3FF3-4690-BE7A-C9573D4EAC27.jpeg

the process begins with an idea and initial sketches. From there, we created more detailed drawings, focusing on specific components, their functions, movements, and placements. Gradually, we started envisioning how to bring the project to life.

Research

Moreover, we conducted research on components and specific pieces, understanding how they function and interact with each other. Verifying that the real components perform as expected, consistent with our research findings.

Preliminary Model

5E2569EE-4429-4BB7-85CA-E98CDDAD13CA.jpeg
77924916-AABC-441E-8CE9-FA89153CF357.jpeg
ADEEA884-63E5-4DD6-8454-56B585A01276.jpeg
807E5657-E1B9-4330-B692-4D3872041859.png
738DB90E-962E-4260-A728-157CF10EDA8E.png
8B3F03AB-AF18-4F17-AE1A-C23130721C41.jpeg
699BB665-E294-4207-8173-D6670497A05B.jpeg

Once everything functioned as intended, we began creating a preliminary 3D model. This model included all essential components with fixed measurements, such as the 608ZZ ball bearing.

Technical Drawings

When creating technical drawings, precision is essential, with as much detail as possible, including the smallest and most specific elements. Measurements must be clearly indicated to serve as a foundation for 3D modeling. They are also great for referencing during the final modeling stage and can be used as a way to understand the scale of the project and thus the feasibility.

Final 3D Model

After completing the preliminary 3D model, we proceeded to test the tolerances with back and forth printing and adjusting. This step was crucial since our project heavily depended on the support of the M8 hex bolts. Ensuring stability was imperative, as rotating a component at high rpm could result in vibrations that might eventually lead to the component breaking.

Last Touches

In order to give as much stability as possible the slots for the hex bolts needed to be very precise, which is why we isolated the slots into smaller parts that we could print individually as many times as needed to perfect the tolerances. We repeated the process for each of the fasteners that we used until we were sure we could print the components as wholes.

3D Printing + Assembly

E7749C27-7916-48A8-B5EE-85DA64E8C086.jpeg
6D87C184-50D9-4537-9FF5-20DA0660417B.png
2BB3BEF1-3BFF-4820-9B8D-FF845B468F02.jpeg
346C3A25-715B-4002-B0B1-DB8D9F76D4BC.jpeg
ACA2304F-3FF5-4D2D-8B63-1BC909F97B0B.jpeg

Using carbon fiber PLA we printed the pieces that would have high strain such as the clamp and the gears. The material however wasn’t appropriate for more elastic use cases like the clip-on “puck” meant to hold the markers, it was also not necessary for pieces that weren’t going to be under constant stress which is why we used regular PLA for everything other than the aforementioned components.