MakerBot Educators Guidebook 3rd Edition

MAKERBOT EDUCATORS GUIDEBOOK Chapter 4: Curriculum Project Ideas
PAGE 72
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List of items that need to be designed
● Gripper Fingers
● Phalanges
Interact with objects and is capable of picking
up and dropping objects.
Responsible for expanding and retracting the
gripper’s fingers.
● Actuator
● Core Connector
Element that moves in a fixed up and down
direction, and drives movement to the phalanges.
Center element that joins the phalanges to the
actuator.
● Trident Housing
● Nuts and Bolts
An element that acts both as housing for the
gripper and works with the gripper fingers and
Used throughout the design to keep parts in
place.
secures the gripper fingers in place.
BREAKING DOWN THE MECHANICS OF HAND MOVEMENT
Begin sketching out and breaking down parts of the human hand and arm that are in play to better define what
elements are essential to replicating hand movement when picking up an object. Then create a list of what elements
need to be designed to make a mechanical gripper possible.
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PLAN AND DESIGN
Using a preferred 3D modeling program (beginner-friendly modeling programs will work for this, too), begin thinking
about how you will start designing the mechanical gripper. Will the actuator be designed first or the housing for the
gripper? Is it best to start designing the biggest component first?
Keep in mind there is no linear path for designing a prototype. It’s a cyclical process that develops over a period of time.
04
TIP:
A good rule of thumb when designing something complex or with multiple parts is to break the designs down into
simple shapes first, this will allow you to add design complexities later on.
PRINT, REDESIGN AND PRINT AGAIN
A mechanical gripper will require multiple printed parts. When preparing files to print, be sure to keep in mind how
you orient the different parts on the build plate and if the orientation of parts will lend to stronger or weaker parts.
The printing part of the process is where you’ll most likely find areas that need improvement - are the gripper fingers
too long? Is there too much tolerance between the bolts and the parts? Keep these things in mind for the next
iteration of this prototype.
MAKERBOT EDUCATORS GUIDEBOOK Chapter 4: Curriculum Project Ideas
PAGE 73