Week 12: Mechanical Design - Machine Design

Before starting

Mechanical Design is the process of conceiving, planning, and developing physical systems, focusing on the shape, structure, materials, and functionality of components. It involves defining aspects such as dimensions, tolerances, mechanisms, and how individual parts interact to fulfill a specific purpose.
On the other hand, Machine Design is a more applied and functional extension of mechanical design, where previously designed components are integrated into a complete system capable of performing a task. It includes the selection of actuators, transmission systems, control, automation, and how the machine will operate under real conditions. Both are part of the engineering development process, which goes from the conceptualization of an idea to the construction, testing, and optimization of a functional system. This process may include stages such as conceptual design, modeling, simulation, prototyping, and validation.
The main difference between them is that Mechanical Design focuses on the design of individual parts and mechanisms (component level), while Machine Design focuses on integrating those elements into a complete machine (system level), also considering its operation, efficiency, and automation.

Mechanical Design

On this occasion, I was responsible for designing the machine’s parts, which can be summarized as follows: During this stage, I focused on ensuring proper alignment, structural stability, and ease of assembly, considering factors such as tolerances, mounting points, and material strength. Each component was designed to integrate seamlessly with the rest of the system and to support the required motion and loads.
Afterward, this work was integrated with the other phases of the project, which can be found documented on the group’s page.

Results

Assembly

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