Senior Capstone Project

The purpose of this project is to design a system which clamps and aligns workpieces in the water jet cutter so that they can be accurately cut, minimizing waste. The existing solution is comprised of a steel and aluminum gantry fitted with toggle clamps to hold the workpiece. This system has completely rusted out and is no longer functional.

Our solution must be simple, highly corrosion resistant, and easy enough to use so that students can use it with minimal guidance.

We first began researching existing water jet cutter clamping techniques. Most shops use c-clamps and bar clamps but these are prone to falling into the water tank and are take a long time to setup. 

We then began researching existing solutions for any type of cartesian plane machine which required similar types of clamping. Looking at laster cutters, 3D printers, and other water jet solutions, we felt that a free-standing solution was the way to go.

After an extended review of many of the solutions, we had narrowed our design down to three potential options. Of those, we chose the an L-shaped, free standing clamp which would lock and align itself to the steel grid in the water jet. This would be fitted with toggle clamps to hold the workpiece down.

With a high level concept selected for our design, we then began refining our design to improve manufacturability, modularity, and ease of use. To do this, we took an iterative approach, ultimately making our way through four versions before settling on the finalized design.

Designs V1, V2, and V3

Design V4, final design

We will begin manufacturing our design in the Spring semester.