Water Brake Dynamometer

This is my senior design concept I hope to fabricate in the near future for SDSU's Aztec Baja SAE club. This dynamometer is designed to attach to a rotating shaft and measure the torque and rpm used to calculate horsepower output. This instrument will help the club numerically validate their progression in drivetrain design as well as determine where we experience the most efficiency loss.

Compound Planetary Gear Set - Robotic Arm Project

This is one of my favorite projects! This three layered compound planetary gear set is a very compact gearbox cut out on a waterjet. With its 80 oz-in DC motor, the robot was capable of lifting over 13 lb with the robot arm extended 2ft!

Aztec Baja's Throttle Pedal

-The throttle pedal was modeled to mimic the characteristics of a T-beam. Starting at the throttle stop and running down the length of the pedal, a radial extrusion cut eliminated extra material on the web of the T-beam as it got further away from the bending moment. The pedal rests at a slight forward angle for driver comfort similar to a standard consumer car. The several throttle cable attachment points allows the driver to customize the pedal throw and the threaded adjustable throttle stop ensures the cable won’t take on unwanted tension after being fully engaged. An engine-turning finish was put on the face of the pedal with a concave half-inch end mill for grip and ornament. With minimal 3-D contouring, the pedal was designed for the ease of manufacturability and machine setup in order to optimize production time and cost.

Machining Fixtures - PMP

Here we have a machining fixture I got the privilege of designing at Precision Metal Products. It utilizes seven interchangeable clamping plates and three tooling-ball plates to machine each of the seven sizes while touching points specified by the customer. The interchangeable components make it easy for the operator to process an order without having to install a new fixture per size. The last fixture is for the same family of parts, used to remove flash from forging.

Precision Piston Pump

Diener Precision Pump mechanism

I was inspired to model the pumping mechanism behind Diener Precision Pumps after watching their youtube video (link below). The major benefit to this piston-pump design is its ability to dispense a very precise amount of liquid using a stepper motor to control the stroke. I have projects in mind that could use this and hope to fabricate it soon! Animation was made with Solidworks' motion study.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WlezzPclP0

Time Management Study

This is a small sample of an excel spreadsheet, formulated for the time management study I conducted. Within the spreadsheet, several variables can be adjusted to help visualize when machine downtime occurred, whether it be by part, by shift, by operator, or by machine. Overall, this study helped management reduce machine downtime and recognize which operators were the most productive with their time.

Bike Seat

Here is a bike seat modeled using surfaces in Solidworks and animated with motion study.

GoPro Fishing Downrigger - Film Fish Behavior