Cutting Mechanism

(revise)
Jullienor’s cutting mechanism is based on a simple rack and pinion gear system. The pinion is attached to the shaft of a motor which moves up and down and cuts something that is directly under it.

For controlling the motor a limit switch is used at the top which makes the motor change direction when it gets pressed and a calculated time delay determines when it moves back up. Initially, I had planned to use encoders but figured out that this was way more easier to do and it got the job done. The wooden panels to which the blades are attached were tapered a little bit using sand paper to ensure smooth cutting of vegetables.

I initially had the blades screwed to the wooden panels but later decided to use super glue to fix them as the heads of the screws and the nuts were jutting out and made the cut look ugly. Here are some pictures of my cutting mechanism which hasn’t been installed on my robot yet.

Update :
A rack and pinion perhaps was a poor choice here as this isn't exactly a lifting mechanism. Will come back to this later.