Design, Fabrication, and Analysis of Vertical Press Cut Machine

This study involves the design, fabrication, and analysis of a vertical press-cut machine (henceforth machine*) to cut wooden plates of 1mm thickness to directly produce an output of the required shape and dimension in one press. The aim is to manufacture a machine that could be portable, cost less (also includes operating costs and labor costs) and be able to produce outputs of any dimensions and shapes. This machine operates on the principle of slider crank mechanism which utilizes a slider, a connecting rod, and a crank. The necessary punch force required in this study to shear a wooden plate of 1mm thickness completely, is 3198 N. This necessary downforce is achieved by fabricating a die of mass 2kg with Mild Steel material and attaching 4 stainless steel blades (total mass = 0.68 kg) with 2mm allowance to the die using eight 12mm bolts. This die is bolted (8mm diameter) to a mild steel plate (150*60*6: l*b*t) which acts as the connecting rod in this setup, which is then bolted (8mm diameter) to a circular plate of 21mm diameter with a lever behind and also a shaft for the possible connection of a 48V motor. This allows for both the hand operation and motor operation of the machine. The study endeavors to manufacturing a machine to achieve low-cost manufacturing and low-cost automation with an ergonomic design that will aid easy portability. The machine was successfully fabricated and assessed using manual operation and it was inferred that a better cutting tool design and high-quality fabrication will promote the quality of the output.