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In my Student Choice Project 2 offered by my Engineering Concepts class, I was given the chance to select a project of choice on something related to engineering. I decided to pick a project that not only would challenge both my mechanical and technological knowledge but would also be a more lighthearted and "fun" project.
Here is some specific information about the criteria and constraints regarding this project:
Overall Objective:
The overall goal is to build a mechanically functional flywheel CD disk shooter to be displayed in the Wheeler High School STEAM Symposium, where visitors from elementary and middle schools will come to experience high school-level STEAM projects.
The flywheel shooter must have two degrees of freedom.
The shooter must be able to launch at least ten feet.
Utilize readily available parts in order to build this project.
Resources Required?
-Is there additional knowledge you will need?
-What materials will you need for this project?
-Are there any special tools you will need?
No additional knowledge, just time spent in CAD.
Fusion360, some plywood, 3d printed parts, motors and electronics.
A CNC, from the engineering classroom.
Some of the constraints that affected the project were the short timeframes required for such a complex project. This required me to cut corners in manufacturing as well as decide not to include a second physical degree of freedom. Instead, I settled for flywheel control as the "second degree" allowing the shooter to move in the yaw axis and control shot distance by adjusting the flywheel speed. Unfortunately, due to many unforeseen conflicts in both time, manufacturing capabilities, and plainly put my mental health, I was not able to complete this project. I do have parts of it done and was able to shoot a disc across my room, albeit controlled by a DC power supply and held in my hands. The electronics panel looks very nice but the wiring was much too difficult to complete in a timely manner.
Proposed Project:
Again, due to many unforeseen issues, I was never able to complete this project in its entirety and instead opted to finalize the project as is. Nearly all of the physical parts were manufactured and mostly put together, but I was missing some vital parts in order to erect the final assembly. The electronics panel came together nicely but the programming and wiring, although I did program some of it, was not completed.
Prior to the iteration shown above, I opted to try different designs to see what I was happy with. I was not a fan of the first iteration that I designed due to the overabundance of 3d printed material and in relation to that the long printing times required for such a part. The part also did not fit on my Ender 3 Pro printer bed without splitting into multiple parts, and with as thin as the plates were initially designed would require far too much material. The assembly also required some finicky supports that I was not comfortable with running next to a high power 775 motor. This iteration used a custom TPU-PLA compliance wheel, but I later opted for a COTS compliance wheel which had a greater consistency and better grip on the disks.
My second iteration, which I initially liked better than the first, utilized a "rack and pinion" type assembly which allowed for fine control of elevation. The design here allowed for higher rigidity and a stouter system; however, it required two flywheel motors, two elevation motors, likely two azimuth motors, and still required a large 3d printed plate. I might have been able to get away with a plywood replacement, but the additional electronic complexities caused me to opt for a different solution.
Below is some of the work I put into building the drivebase:
Assembly Mockup with a Disk
Electronics Panel
Assembly PartsÂ
Completed Project - The CD Flywheel Shooter
For a number of reasons, again, I was not able to complete this project. I am not happy with a number of things in this project, but I think the electronics panel came out nicely with a nice aesthetic as well as its functional layout. I may revisit this project with a different design and with a better headspace so that the final product comes out nicer than it did here.
It was indeed fun to play with the 1:1 775 motor with the compliance wheel and the partial assembly. Held horizontally, I was able to fire disks across my room and given the criteria, as long as you have a DC power supply, parts of the assembly, and a brave enough soul to hold a rapidly spinning rubber wheel near your body, you can complete all three requirements! Reaching ten feet with the shooter was laughably easy and I probably could've opted for a higher target distance. Humans act great as a two-axis turret, so in the case that you're in need of some azimuth and elevation control, tell your buddy to hold the assembly so you can fire in any direction!
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