Replaceable Finger Joint

The Art teacher replicable hand broke so I wanted to challenge myself to try to come up with a way to fix it and expand my knowledge of engineering. First I defined what the problem was which the joint to the finger was broken and needed to be replace. Second the joint must have enough space for it to be able to move like a finger and not stiff where it can't move. Lastly where the joint is strong enough so where it can withstand little kids playing with it and not break easily.

-Calibrator

-CAD

-3D printing

To help get me the correct measurement I need I started this project with a calibrator to help me measure the width, length, and depth of the finger joint socket of inside the finger to help build a replica of the finger joint to help mimic the same movement of the original joint.

In this step I took the measurement from the calibrator and insert it into into TinkerCAD (any CAD program is good TinkerCAD is just my preference) then I tried our different shapes with various form and tinker with them for a while until I came up with the final product which I though was good enough to help fix the broken finger. I rounded out the bottom part of the joint to make it smooth so it could slide into the socket of the finger easily and their would be no friction stopping it from popping it right back out leading to more problems to in the future.

During this long process I tried out different sizes and adjusted every minute millimeter as every .1 of a change can have a significant impact of the product. This is because in order for the finger to move or adjust to the correct position you would want it to have enough space for the finger to move but at the same time tight enough for where the finger doesn't fall out of it's position which can take many trials and error but persistency is key and not to give up! Every 3D printer is different so when I was printing them out I adjusted for the change of the print and the size of the filament too. From the measurements on the computer and the piece being in your hand unadjusted it could be slightly different but remember every change is necessary in this product so I had to make sure that everything is perfectly adjusted during this process.

Now that I have my pieces I would want to insert them into the finger and try to move it to see which one is to tight or too loose to find the perfect fit for the finger

Once I found the perfect fit for the finger I used a hot glue gun and added some glue into the socket to make the piece at the bottom have a secure fit next I had to think of a way to attach the finger to the joint which I thought of a pin which can be very flexible but at the same time holds it place so I inserted a pin through the finger and through the joint making sure nothing goes wrong then I cut off any excess of the pin to make it have a seamless finish touch and now your FINISHED! I wanted to take on this project to help build my engineering skills but also at the same time help out my teachers and show my appreciation for the hard work they have done for me and their students so I am grateful I had this opportunity to show off my talent and at the same time giving the final product to the teacher and making her smile.