What?

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In Sophomore Engineering Design, we were tasked with creating an embosser: a machine capable of pressing two different dies onto aluminum foil without user intervention or code.

 

We were given two or three weeks, and were told to limit our 3D printing to just non-structural parts.

 

How?

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We engineered an amplified sliding crank mechanism. A motor drives a smaller gear, which spins one with three times as many teeth - increasing our torque - that then translates a linkage up and down a track. The end of this linkage holds a slot for die, which we can snap in and out. This “positive die” presses on alumnium foil and a “negative die” to emboss our desired icon.  

What did I learn?

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We were prevented from 3D printing and hot-gluing, pushing me to:

• Get a lot better at laser cutting and wood-working

• Use bolts and screws for secure attachment