Project Updates: January

Scroll down to see weekly updates regarding the current
status of the project, and any other interesting news.

January 4 - 10

Having completed the preliminary CAD designs by the end of December 2018, our team was ready to kick off the new year by 3D printing all of the various components of the mechanical suturing arm. The material selected was Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). Once the individual components were assembled, the contraption shown below was ready. Manually rotating the slider-crank mechanism led to the identification of several issues that could not be captured through simulation, and revisions to the mechanical design are in progress.

Images (Below): Latest Prototype of the Mechanical Suturing Arm.

January 11 - 17

With new insights into the way the mechanical components should integrate together, initial computer-aided designs were updated to target a few specific issues. Guiding walls were placed at the desired fulcrum of the two interlocked sliders, to ensure seamless rotation along the circumference of the needle guiding rails. Minor modifications were made to the tolerances and the dimensions of certain components to allow for better overall assembly. The most exciting update? The creation of a platform to which the solenoid can be attached!

Image (Left): Udpated CAD Assembly of the Mechanical Suturing Arm.

January 18 - 24

Excellent progress is being made on the mechanical suturing arm, and the team decided that it would be a good time to start the design and manufacturing process for the gantry workspace. This became especially important as dependencies started to arise in relation to how certain actuators, that will need to be mounted to the gantry workspace, will interact and control the mechanical suturing arm. Having experience with building a gantry structure over the summer of 2018, the relevant computer-aided designs were completed efficiently.

Image (Right): Preliminary CAD Assembly of the Gantry Workspace.

January 25 - 31

The manufacturing of the gantry workspace was completed this week. The critical components were 3D printed using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). Slight revisions needed to be made to hole alignments and tolerances, and the updated components fit together easily. Screws and threaded rods were purchased and used to ensure that all the components could be held together in a secure manner while still allowing motion along the desired axes. A wooden frame was built to support the threaded rods, though this may eventually be replaced with aluminum or steel.

Images (Above): Latest Prototype of the Gantry Workspace.

Contact Us

Have any questions or comments? Interested in contributing towards technology that has the potential to revolutionize the medical industry, either by joining as a member or as a sponsor? Reach out to us through one of the methods below!