Dynamite Motor

This was my first ever mechanical engineering project...EVER!
As a sophomore who had just recently made the decision to pursue Mechanical Engineering, I am proud to say...I JUST BUILT MY VERY OWN DC MOTOR NAMED DYNAMITE! I had so much fun in the Pappalardo Lab and learned so much by the end of this experience.

Wait...how did you get the chance to do this?!
This January (2011), I was enrolled in a 4-day class called Mechanical Engineering Tools (2.670). this is a requirement for all MIT Course 2 MechE students and is only offered at the end of January (during IAP). Most MechE students choose to take this class during their sophomore year, seeing as it is a prerequisite for Design and Manufacturing I (2.007). More information about that awesome class is still to come. So stay tuned!

So the goal of this course was to become familiar with some of the machine tools in the shop and what they can do. And how did I exactly go about accomplishing that? By building a DC motor with some of my own design choices in MIT's very own Pappalardo Design Laboratory.

What good came out of it?
This was my first time building anything. EVER. Keep in mind, I had been planning to major in biology/biological engineering (aka I specialized in dealing with pipettes, incubators, bio hoods, etc.) before I discovered the magic in mechanical engineering. I had never been in a machine shop, never drilled a hole, never even used a nut and bolt! Coming form somebody who jumps at the opportunity to try something new, building Dynamite was a great change of scenery and unleashed an exciting world of engineering I would not have encountered otherwise. More than just teaching me the basics about machine shop tools (milling machine, lathe, bandsaw, drill press, etc.), this class sparked my love for building and designing.

Sample SolidWorks sketches of the motor parts

Also I got a chance to say, "hey, this is my own motor using my own design." I made decisions on what size rotor to use to maximize torque and speed. I got to determine the number of magnets I wanted to use and strategically place them on the box side wall. I got to construct my own electronic tachometer to measure the speed of my motor using simple circuits. I got to go through the engineering process of identifying problems and coming up with solutions; although there was a lot of trial and error, I learned an immense amount from going through this process.

Electric Tachometer

SO...?
In the end, Dynamite exceeded my expectations. I pretty much went into the class saying, "if I can get my motor to spin, I'll be happy" to "LET'S GET THIS BABY MOVING FASTER!" Dynamite ended up being the 9th fastest small rotor motor (about 4700 RPM) out of about 50 motors. Sure, I encountered numerous problems along the way but I'm so glad I did. Those problems lead to the full-on engineering experience: brainstorming, designing, building, troubleshooting, and redesigning.

Dynamite!

Personal Reflection
So looking back, I am incredibly proud of myself for finally taking the initiative to pursue mechanical engineering by first building this motor. I thought I had my four years at MIT planned by sticking to the familiar biology/science track I was so use to in high school. But MIT threw me a curve ball and I had 2 choices: let is pass me by or take a swing at it. So here's to making changes in your life that may require a bit of risk, chutzpah, and spontaneity. Because if you never try, you'll never know.

Cheers,
Lauren