Maze

September 2019

Design Intent

During my brainstorming, I realized a big theme that I circled back to was paying homage to my journey through grad school. Since this class was one of the capstone classes in the PRL, I wanted to make something to remind me of that every time I use it. I had a number of ideas that were more clearly Stanford themed, but ultimately, I chose one that was centered on a phrase my coworker had reminded me of: Per aspera, ad astra (through hardships to the stars). This encapsulates my journey through grad school. While Stanford has challenged and pushed me hard, it has also made me grow so much more as an engineer.

Machining Strategy

Material: Aluminum 6061-T6 – 3.5”x3.5”x0.375”

Tools: ¼” end mill, #4 center drill, #1 drill, ¼-20 UNC Thread former

Since this was my first foray into CAM and CNC’ing, I wanted to design something that was a balance between complexity and time for potential need for rework. Since there were through holes for the threads, it was crucial that there was either a gap or some material underneath the aluminum plate. With some advice from Mauricio, I mounted the plate (grey) on some stacked parallels (blue) with a sufficient gap between the tallest parallel and the vise so that the drill bit could go safely through. I learned about a new tool, the parallel spanner (pink), and how it’s useful in keeping parallels up. I learned about a new tool, the parallel spanner (pink), and how it’s useful in keeping parallels up. Once the work piece was set up, it was relatively straightforward to machine since my design only required machining on one side.

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