Green Team

University of Maine

2010 MET Senior Design Project

Design

             To effectively crush pills our design utilizes the helical screw mechanism from a Yankee screwdriver. The collar of the screwdriver is press fit into the fabricated housing, which is in turn bolted in place of the original top jaw of the Orange X Professional juicer that we purchased. The moveable rod of the juicer is held in a hole in the top of the housing with a set screw and was hollowed out to allow the helix to slide up inside of it. A spring placed around the helix provides extra pressure and ensures the helix returns to resting position after contracting. The male jaw is attached to the end of the helix with a roll pin and is tapered to fit inside a standard medicine cup. A female jaw with a corresponding slot for a medicine cup was fabricated to fit inside the existing bottom jaw of the juicer.

 

 

Mechanism Assembly:

 

Below is a video of our pill crusher in operation:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJeVMpKBP14

 

 

 

 

 

Modifications To Standard Parts And Juicer:

 

 

Home

Team Members

Design Specifications

Benchmarking

Concept Testing

Original Design

Force Testing

Final Design

Fabrication

Competition

Problem: Press fit between the helix and the male jaw was not strong enough to support the forces involved.

 

Solution: Connect the helix and male jaw with a roll pin

 

 

Problem: High friction  in the helix and helix collar

 

Solution: Lubricate the helix and collar with oil