To start off we took our model we had designed in SolidWorks and attempted to scale it down to 1/32. In SolidWorks we scaled the assembly down, but unfortunately the spacing relationships between the components remained the same. The result was a strange exploded view of our model where each piece was very tiny. To remedy this we imported the model into Fusion 360 and scaled it there, where it worked like we wanted.

From there each component needed to be redesigned for 3d printing in mind. The shaft and bearings were also 3d printed and worked surprisingly well.

We faced a couple of challenges during the design of this. The first issue was finding a way to modulate the speed of the power hammer; mimicking how the full size power hammer would function. We used an RC motor to drive the power hammer. We originally tried to control it with a potentiometer but that did not work. I then found an old motor controller I had on hand but it was for 12v applications and we needed one for a 5v application so that also ended up not working. I then unhooked the entire assembly and was able to get the motor to spin simply by giving it the full power from the power supply.

However, when hooked up to the assembly I couldn’t get enough torque out of the motor for it to turn the pulley and flywheel and fight the inherit friction our assembly had. To remedy this, I 3d printed a gear box on the back that gave us the mechanical leverage to turn the flywheel. The first series of photos shows the hammer without any gear box.

The final video shows the hammer working by me simply hot wiring the motor but it spins so fast I had to take a video in slow motion for it to be seen properly. Because the geometry of the moving components stayed the same relative to each other, this was also used to validate that our power hammer would be able to move correctly and actually operate as intended which we were very proud of.