Mechanical Design Activity

We are going to design a simple part using the online CAD tool OnShape . There are a variety of other tools available for you to use, but OnShape is online so we don’t need to worry about getting a package installed on everyone’s machines. While designing our part, we will consider what we just learned about design for 3D printing and the best practices of modern parametric CAD.

We will be designing a holding system for a direct current displacement transducer (DCDT). This setup has a few parts and we will design as much as we can in class. You are encouraged to keep working on and finish the design on your own, but it is not a requirement. The completed parts from this design activity have been built and are currently in regular laboratory use.

DCDT brackets in use during a rock mechanics experiment.

If you need reminders of how to do things in OnShape, be sure to checkout their website that has a lot of great tutorials, webcasts, and other resources. You can also watch the lecture video in which we go through the design in class.