About the Project
A fully functional advanced manufacturing machine for the flexible abrasive-assisted mechanical polishing of components. Designed, modelled and built from the ground up — achieving results polishing Ti-6Al-4V to 0.1 microns Ra.
Aluminium T-Slot extrusions, associated accessories, and aluminium-plated polyethylene sheets (I-Bond ACM) were used for the sealed external frame. Pneumatic design and electrical design provided a suction system for abrasives and a controllable discharge rotation. Results were verified using a profilometer and SEM.
This project earned an A+ grade and was completed faster than any other mechanical engineering MSc at UCT.
// What I Did
- Process and machine element design
- CAD / SolidWorks modelling
- Electric, pneumatic and mechanical design and assembly
- MATLAB modelling and simulation
- Research and literature review
- Experimentation and validation
- Sourcing and acquiring components
- Dissertation write-up (A+ grade)