Deadbolt Lever

Extracurricular Project (Group of 3)

Club: EnableTech

Timeline: November 2019 - March 2020

Skills used: CAD (Fusion 360), 3D Printing, Laser cutting

What

As part of an on-campus makeathon, we worked with Owen, our client with quadriplegia, to help him be able to open the deadbolt on his apartment door by himself without hindering the ability for others to use it. Initially, Owen proposed an electronic deadbolt that could be controlled by his phone, but eventually we decided on a mechanical extension to his deadbolt that would allow him to easily turn the deadbolt with his robotic arm as a result of the mechanical advantage the extension provides. Our team became very passionate about solving Owen’s problem that the project evolved beyond a 3-day makeathon commitment to a semester-long one.

How

I was responsible for manufacturing our 3D-printed prototype and faced the challenge of creating a snap fit for each of the modular parts. I had to constantly change the sizes as well as the print orientations of the positive and negative extrusions to create a snug fit. For example, I had to decrease the size of a positive extrusion four times to get it to fit nicely in the hole. From this experience, I learnt a lot about designing for certain fits as well as the 3D printing process in general.