End Effector Design
UBC Capstone // Aspect Biosystems
For my 4th-year capstone project, we designed a robot to interface with living human tissues that are 3D printed by Aspect Biosystems's tissue printer. This robot will move the tissue sample to downstream processes, removing human error and allowing them to automate their production process. My focus for the project was the mechanical design of the robot end effector, which provides the interface between our robot and Aspect's printed tissue sample.
The requirements for the end effector are very complex, as it needs to grip a delicate and expensive sample, and operate in a constrained and antiseptic environment. When designing it, I learned a lot about design for manufacturing, ensuring compliance was built into the system, and designing a minimally constrained interface.
The final design uses a "forklift" design to pick up and move a tissue frame, which supports the sample. The frame includes some self-aligning features, to locate it properly on the printer gantry and ensure proper compliance. The forklift required one tyne to be shortened to accommodate some printer tubing, so a force analysis was conducted to ensure the frame would not tip off the forklift when in motion.
