During this project I tried out a few new manufacturing techniques which improved the quality of the product, but also increased the difficulty of the design phase.

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Metal Working

When designing the crank arm, I knew I wanted to use the steel rod that I had on hand, however I would have to change its form in order for it to fit into the geometries I was working with. I opted to secure the rod in a vice and use a torch to make the metal more malleable in order to bend it at a 90 and also a 45 degree angle. This process was simple however not precise.

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Designing and Manufacturing Small Assembly

This project was my second or third assembly, so the design process was slightly more difficult. I had drawn out a few ideas and landed on having the two metal rods go through two bearing which would be imbedded into the handle. I had also done research and found that the current ranges that the crank had available for output were relatively low, so the lever arm could be relatively short and still have the same output.

This project also took advantage of threaded inserts, which are a great way to secure 3D printed parts. However, the downsides to them are1) increased time of assembly, 2) as you warp the filament with heat, the material may be more brittle in these areas, and 3) if not embedded correctly, they can easily shear the hole they sit in and walk when being secured.

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