Mechanical Engineering & Public Policy Graduate
GET A GRIP!
This project challenged us to redesign the handle of an existing object. Immediately, the handle of a nut driver came to mind. I am on a buggy team and every week when we assemble wheels, we need to tighten down the bearings using a nut and bolt - we use a nut driver to do this. However, all the nut drivers we have are the same - they consist of a long, approximately cylindrical handle that is not very easy to hold when you're trying to apply a large torque, especially when you have little to no arm strength, like I do. In order to make this handle better and more ergonomic, I wanted to create a T-handle extension on the original handle, which is something helpful I see in other tools I often use. I also wanted to make this handle customized to my hand, to offer me the ideal grip. In addition, I wanted to improve the grip on the original handle, so that I could still use it in the traditional way if need be.
IDEATION AND SKETCHING
To get the project started, I drew out the current nut driver and sketched out various ways to tackle the problem areas of the product. I decided to create an integration of the T-handle design with improved finger grips on the original handle. Once I settled on what I wanted my solution to look like, I created orthographic views of the new driver, as well as an isometric drawing, to guide my clay molding and shaping process
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PROTOTYPING PROCESS
I started my prototype by first creating a skeleton to be used as support underneath the clay. I measured one of the nut drivers we have in our shop, and created a CAD file in SolidWorks to represent the upper portion of the driver, onto which I would be packing on the clay. I then created a STL file and 3D printed this skeleton. Next, I starting adding clay onto this base, which initially consisted of putting a lot of clay onto the skeleton in a vaguely cylindrical shape. Once I had a somewhat thick layer of clay on my skeleton I was able to start forming it to fit in my hand, as well as build up the customized T-handle component. I mainly used my fingers to shape and smooth the clay, which was relatively easy to do since I wasn't creating any complicated slopes in my handle. I also used my fingers to create the grooves by pressing into the clay where I wanted the grooves to be, and then going over that area with my thumb. Once I was satisfied with the shape of my handle, I spent a lot of time smoothing it with both my hands and a dampened sponge.
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FINAL PROTOTYPE
My final product is a very comfortable and sleek nut driver handle that will allow me to more easily assemble wheels, and perform any other tasks that require a large torque to be applied. In addition to the main improvement in the T-handle feature, I also included finger grips on both the T-handle and original handle components. The handle fits perfectly in my palm, and allows me to grip it the way that works best for me.
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