I created an easy-to-use fixture for validating pneumatic assemblies before they go into production machines.
Markforged furnaces use gas mixtures to create inert environments for metal sintering. The control, flow, and pressure of these gases must be controlled using a Gas Control Panel (GCP). We needed a robust GCP test fixture that the manufacturing team could use for validating the GCP assemblies before these assemblies go into customer’s machines.
Before this fixture existed, we literally had 2-3 engineers that knew how to validate GCPs and they had to hand courier these assemblies from our manufacturing facility to our main office to do so. I familiarized myself with the testing methodology, the tools and components required, and went to work making a fixture so we could save valuable engineering time and money by having technicians at our manufacturer validate GCPs quickly.
This fixture filled the GCP with gas and tested the solenoids, pressure sensors, and flowmeters. The test setup required two regulators, a digital flowmeter, multiple ball valves, a safety relief valve, and some electronics. I organized all the parts using an off-the-shelf washdown enclosure. I used Solidworks to map out where and how to mount all the components, and designed and built mounting brackets to hold everything in place securely.
In my design, I took into account the fact that this fixture would be used in a production setting at our manufacturer. I mounted all the components such that they were easy to use and routed cables and tubing in a neat, safe, and clean fashion. Technicians and engineers loved the fixture for its elegant simplicity as it saved time on our production line - in turn saving the company money.
