Design and Manufacturing of the Filament Collection and Diameter Measurement Systems of Fiber Extrusion Device for Educational Purposes

Abstract

Fiber Extrusion Device (FrED) is a desktop fiber extrusion system that mimics continuous fiber draw process for hands-on learning and/or laboratory experience on data acquisition, control system, and smart manufacturing, and it allows users to perform experiments, vary manufacturing parameters, change control system, and collect data. There are different variants of FrED based on the price point (low cost to high cost). The existing FrED has issues like poor portability, high cost, and poor manufacturability. There is a need to make it cost efficient, portable, and, thus, accessible to remote learners. In this project, the TecMIT team implemented the agile methodology, V-model methodology, and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) to design a low-cost version of FrED. In the project, FrED was divided into six sub-systems, and this thesis goes into details of the design and manufacturing of the filament collection and diameter measurement systems. Through five iterations of design cycles, a production model with a unit cost of $268.71 was developed and prototyped. A pilot run of 10 FrEDs, four user testing, and numerous functionality testing were conducted to finalize the production model. In the end, a total of 25 FrEDs (10 test runs and 15 production runs) were produced, and a user's manual and process plans were constructed.