Co-Op Project at Yaskawa
During my time as a student engineering Co-Op at Yaskawa, my main project was the upgrade of an old 1.5kW dynamometer to use the newest technology and be up to date with the rest of the lab. During the discovery phase, I realized that enabling the dynamometer to run at 3kW would not be too much of a cost barrier and would make sense for the workflow of the team. My supervisors gave me the go-ahead to proceed and I got to work in SOLIDWORKS designing all of the mechanical portions of the test stand.
Given the cabinet I would be designing around, I started with that and worked my way to the top of the stand. I was directed to use as much of the old materials as possible to save money and time. I designed the plate the motors and torque meter would ride on, mounting solution for all of the electronics, as well as a new safety guard and safety interlock mechanism.
Once my team and I had reviewed the design, I made manufacturing drawings with GD&T callouts and correct tolerances. I reached out to local manufacturing shops to get estimates on the cost of the materials and the machining of the parts. After some back and forth, we settled on a shop that could provide us with the materials we needed and the machining we required.
As parts came in I started to assemble the stand. I cut, sanded, and finished the countertop to match the rest of the servo lab.
