Senior Project Ideas

[BeaterofAincrad]

So this is my third year taking Manufacturing Tech and it’s more of a self study. So I’m basically going to be Manufacturing something and then presenting various data on the processes at the end of the year.

My teacher says it’s better if I can chose something that will “help the environment” such as alternate power, etc. because then we are more likely to get funding.

I personally would like to build a motor of some sort. Like an engine that is easier to mount parallel so you can have the HP of a “V-Twin” without having to spend the +$400 on a new V-Twin. Instead you’d have one engine already and then if you want more HP in the future, you’d buy another single cylinder engine for $100-200 and connect the two without having as much space between them and other undesirable connection problems.

Or a mechanism that bolts to the side of an engine and has a lathe tool on it. Then you can turn the shaft to whatever diameter you need without having to bring it to an expensive machine shop or having the various issues with using an angle grinder.

Anyways if anybody else has some other ideas that’d be great because my teacher sort of shot down the first idea. I haven’t brought up the lathe one yet though.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

Some suggestions:
1. 79cc can crusher
2. Solar roof panel for cars/karts (this has been done)
3. Purpose built weedwacker powered 2-wheeled thing

An argument can be made that these suggestions are "helping the environment". Just don't ask me to make said argument.

 

[Randy H]

"help the environment"

First thing that comes to mind is dolphin powered generators.

Free energy, and fixes the growing epidemic of dolphin obesity.

Seriously. How about a way to convert co² into oxygen that doesn't use a form of environmentally damaging electricity.

Like the opposite of fossil fuel powered electric automobiles.

 

[mckutzy]

The shaft turning thing idea is cool...
Hopefully the toolbit chattering won't kill the idea... Also the side plate is aluminum, so tightening it down might end up stripping the holes out, as this is the ideal register spot for this...

 

[Tpdingo]

"help the environment"

First thing that comes to mind is dolphin powered generators.

Free energy, and fixes the growing epidemic of dolphin obesity.

Seriously. How about a way to convert co² into oxygen that doesn't use a form of environmentally damaging electricity.

Like the opposite of fossil fuel powered electric automobiles.

Solar powered CO2 to oxygen producers.

Trees.

 

[BeaterofAincrad]

Thanks so much guys, I’d like to avoid solar power and such. Also anything that uses the skills I’ve learned is good too. Mainly machining stuff and a little with arduino. I wanted to make a mini V8 two stroke(got the idea from my teacher because he attempted to 3D print the engine block on a new printer) like for RC cars because I thought it would be fun to make and sound awesome but that was shot down…
My classmate is making some sort of conventional injection molding machine, that uses several different skills.

So it seems(although it won’t be as fun) I might be making a robotic arm that moves some small stuff. I’m still open for new ideas though.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

A robotic hand that gives your teacher the finger for shooting down all your ideas.

 

[itsid]

"My teacher asked me to do some environmentally friendly stuff..."
".. so I will burn as many fossil fuels as I can"

IDK, but I see an issue with what you were asked to do and what you are planning to do!

Sure.. vroom vrooom, who doesn't like that?
but it's just not what you were asked for, is it?

Sooo let's see... arduino, huh?
cool.. how about a fuel saving indicator ..
you could work on engine data (partly vroom )
read the necessary values off the various sensors from a car,
then calculate the least amount of fuel needed to move the known car at the current road and condition (inclination, air temp and density and such)
and display the offset to the current fuel consumption to the driver
either with a simple LED array or more fancy with an alphanumeric display.

So the driver can adjust his driving style to maybe save a bit of fuel


Or if machining is more to your liking, how about a grinder for failed prints
you can machine the wheels and hopper,
you could even arduino control the thing in many stages
like auto stop the grinder as soon as the hopper is empty [motor load sensing]
or you add a step and add a heater that forms nice uniform pellets to reuse,
to feed into a filament extruder that takes such pellets.
Or for your classmate's injection molding machine to use as source material ..

You could als extrude new filament directly (needs a serious control mechanism which is especially tricky if your pellets aren't uniform) for the 3d printer.

'sid

 

[BeaterofAincrad]

Lmao, my teacher is a good teacher. He just likes to have things “done right”, like I needed some brackets for the idler pulleys on another 3D printer and he wanted me to laser cut them instead of taking a few measurements and cutting/drilling them by hand and calling it good enough. I still ended up doing them by hand though, had them done in 25-30 min.

---------- Post added at 12:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------

At first I was thinking an eco V-Twin, like GMC has air valves on all but one cylinder that open when you’re coasting. So that idea is “environment friendly”

 

[Tpdingo]

Nah I got an idea.

Make a drag car running on nitromethane and hydrazine

It is green...yeah know...green burning!

 

[Kartorbust]

Well if it were feasible to build a hydrogen fuel cell, you could do up an electric go kart with a fuel cell as the power source. Seems like that is a much more beneficial power source than lithium batteries (hydrogen is the most abundant element). Trying to get all of that to go together just right though will be costly. But it was an off the top of my head suggestion. Could end up incorporating solar and wind energy into the project for separating hydrogen and oxygen from water for the fuel cell.

I've never looked into such a thing, so I have no idea how practical this would be even for something as small as a go kart.