Design Iteration 2 : Rotary Plate

This iteration developed on the presence of test stations from the previous idea. The plan was to have a pseudo assembly line with separate points at which testing areas were placed. The difference was that the line would rotate in one place.

Advantages as compared from the previous iteration:

  • More reliability on mechanical movement leading to less chances of failure.
  • Less cuvette movement
  • More control

Design thinking process:

  • Mount motors onto a rotating pizza base type plate
  • Mount up to 4 cuvettes on 1 motor
  • Result would be capability to rotate independently twice
  • Make stops along the circumference to imitate test stations
  • Mount the bigger pizza base plate onto a ball bearing connected to a motor
  • Mount all motor drivers on the underside of plate

(Images depict CAD design from different angles)

Advantages:

  •  Limits cuvette movement
  • Provides space for mounting electronics
  • Test stations present in one plane so easier to design and place

Why the design failed:

  • Biggest Issue: Wiring motors on a rotating structure causes unavoidable entanglement
  • Very difficult to get plate stable 
  • Motors used were inaccurate causing spillage and errors in test results
  • Too much weight on one ball bearing (Big point of failure)
  • 3D printed base was easy to break under load

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *