This forum section has been created to allow you to post examples of your mechanical design work. Please create topics to display your work within. Please post photos/sketches/drawings/images of 3D models/renderings/links to videos etc etc. It would be also good if you could write a bit of info about your work - what it is/how it works/how many manufactured etc. Please note there's also the 3D rendering gallery on this site: please feel free to post examples of your 3D renderings over there too!
Mechanical Engineering Project Examples Designing and manufacturing cyclocross shifter brackets We recently tackled a great project from cyclocross accessories maker, Gevenalle. Based in Portland Oregon just like us, Gevenalle utilizes the skills and enthusiasm of local racers, and they test and tune their products year-round. The project was to design and manufacture brackets for shifter conversion kits. From existing models supplied by Gevenalle, we produced redesigned CAD models. From there, our design team created a whole family of parts, some for specific brake lever shapes and some for multiple types. As things moved into the prototyping phase, the team created prototypes at double-the-size. Creating these 2X units helped them get a feel for how surfaces were matching up, and allowed them to closely examine the fits. Once we had fits we liked, the big CAM challenge was an off-angle hole in the shifters. That’s when the CAM team looked at how to tackle the production phase. The typical method would be to create an entirely new setup just for the one hole. But additional setups take a lot of time, and introduce a possibility for misalignment, which could turn into a lot of scrapped parts. Optimizing the design using NX CAM, our machinists were the brains of the operation. Our programmer-machinist Pat Smith thought there might be a way to eliminate the extra setup. By rotating the part placement on the fixture and putting the fixture on our 4th axis, we could machine the part and drill the hole in the same setup. Using NX’s built-in simulation, he was able to prove this concept would work before making a single cut. The shifter brackets got their marching orders and shipped off. We look forward to working with Gevenalle on more of their products and projects.
