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Week 12

Mechanical Design and Machine Design

Our group machine

Our lab project is documented as a hybrid laser cutter and 3D printer. The shared machine documentation includes the concept, SolidWorks assembly, electronics, motion tests and source-download links.

That shared page is evidence of the team project. My individual page still needs to establish exactly which files and physical parts are my contribution.

My contribution: record to verify

The group task table assigns me mechanical design and CAD assembly: chassis layout, V-slot frame modelling, spacer arrangements and gantry alignment. My earlier individual draft instead described manufacturing and assembly without identifying the parts. I need to reconcile those accounts using the CAD files, photographs and my own work notes.

I have not filled this gap with invented dimensions, machine settings or a claim that I wrote the automation firmware. I will add the part names, the source files I created or modified, and photographs of my work before calling my individual contribution documented.

How the mechanism and automation fit together

The group record describes an aluminium-profile Cartesian frame with belts and a moving carriage. Stepper drivers actuate the axes, and the controller accepts G-code through a serial interface. The intended application is a tool platform for additive and laser processes.

For the mechanical part of the assignment I need evidence of manual movement and fit. For machine design I need the automated-motion result, with a clear explanation of my contribution and links back to the team record.

Evidence I still need

  • My original CAD parts or assembly changes, with filenames and an explanation of what I designed.
  • Photographs identifying the parts I made or assembled and the actual settings used.
  • A record of manual movement checks and the automation test I helped perform.
  • Specific problems, what I changed, and the observed result; I cannot use generic fit problems as a substitute for that record.
  • A confirmed team task allocation and links between the shared page and my individual page.

The group page carries the presentation and team source files. I still need to verify the downloads against my contribution: machine presentation, CAD and control sources.