Mechanical

Frame - The frame of Blender Splendor is made from .75" x .75" wooden square dowels. The frame measures 18" x 24" x 12". The pieces of the frame are attached to each other with .25" wooden round Dowel pins. The pins are pressed and glued into the pieces that they join together. The sidewalls are made from .125" Plexiglas and the front door is made from .25" Plexiglas. This gave the door hinges and latch more support when screwed into the front panel.

Sliding Shelf - The middle shelf slides back and forth to allow the blender to reach the bottom of the cup. See diagrams below. The middle shelf slides in grooved .375" thick pieces of Plexiglas that are screwed into the wood frame.


Powder Dispensing - The powder is stored in a funnel and rests on top of the block with a 1" hole in it. The hole and funnel are lined up so the hole fills with powder when it is in its home position. To dispense the powder the block is moved over putting the hole in the block over a hole in the shelf allowing the powder to fall into the cup. See photos below.

  • Actuation - A solenoid was experimented with to drive the block, however the solenoid did not have enough force. We then tested a 12V Howard Stepper motor (part # 4317-MS) with a nylon rack and pinion (part # 57655K11) to covert the angular motion to linear motion. This proved successful and was used in our final design.

  • Manufacturing - The powder block had .25" rails that rode along slots in the shelf. Both the shelf and the block were machined using a CNC Mill. This assured proper clearances in the parts that resulted in smooth motion. The slots in the shelf were oversized by .004" to prevent any jamming.

Milk Dispensing - The milk is stored in a 1.75 Qt. Rubbermaid container. A tube runs from the container into a solenoid valve (part #8077K46), then from the valve into the cup. To seal the tube to the container a Dow Corning 732 multi purpose Silicone sealant was used.

Mixing - A battery operated portable mixer (part #7405) was used to mix the powder and liquid together. An aluminum extension piece was added to extend the mixer into the bottom of the cup. The extension piece was coupled to the motor shaft using a setscrew.

The Trademark - Our trademark "Blender Splendor" was milled into the front panel using a CAM package and a CNC mill.