Curriculum - Mechanics

Introduction

• Collaborates with OSE Clubs - the Open Hardware Enterprise Club.
• Introduces the concept of open source product development
• This module teaches you how to design and make geardowns for various applications using 3D printing and design software.
• Outcomes:

• Learning about mechanical advantage, force, torque, speed, efficiency, and power
• Hands-on understanding of torque via Torque Measurement], rotational speed measurement (Arduino Tachometer), and Rotational Power Calculation.
• Gaining hands on experience with collaborative product development
• Learning CAD design in FreeCAD, including using part libraries from OSE and external sources, and being able to modify and create files in a snap
• Ability to generate files for printing
• Ability to design a functional gear of any geardown ratio.
• Ability to demonstrate the correct functioning of such gears in practical situations from cranks, motors, to winches.

Planetary Gears

• Why gears? Give me a lever long enough, and I shall move the world.
• Why planetary gears - compact and easily stackable form lends itself to many applications. See Curriculum - Grinder
• 3D Printer - for parts printing
• Lesson 1 - Using Wiki and Google Docs for documentation and collaboration.
• Exercise 1 - Create a Template
• Lesson 2 - theory of Planetary gears. Force, torque, speed calculations. 1 hour
• Lesson 2 Group or Individual Exercise in Google Docs - Find the torque and speed on a sample gear with 1" sun, 4" planets when driven with the Open Source Cordless Drill. Document on Google Doc Gear Calculation Spreadsheet.
• Lesson 3 - Open source planetary geardown generation in OpenSCAD
• Lesson 4 - FreeCAD design
• Lesson 5 - Using, finding, and modifying parts in FreeCAD by using OSE and other part libraries
• Lesson 6 - Designing and building a 3D printed space frame that can hold 500 lbs
• Lesson 7 - Designing and building a 3D printed winch. See Geardown for What
• Lesson 8 - Mechanical advantage. Winching people up with a cordless drill
• Lesson 9 - Designing a geardown for a cordless drill-driven mixing auger.
• Lesson 10 - Understanding materials limits of plastic. Building a functional 1000x geardown.
• Lesson 11 - Applying a geardown to a grinder for grinding plastic waste. 3D Printed grinder

Guidelines

• Planetary Geardown Wiki Page - has all templates
• Exercises can be done singly or as a team.
• Singly - students can take one page each of the Template
• As a team, group of students can work on the same document - up to as many students as needed
• For teamwork, role allocation happens on first page of document with a graphical icon
• Upload pictures to your social media site for embedding