The final project for my CAD I course was to design and manufacture a water pump. The pump was dimensionally constrained to 4″x4″x6″ and was required to pump at least 4 fluid ounces of water from one container into another.
The first version was based on a diagram provided in the project instructions. I 3D printed the model and tested it, finding that the lever mechanism to drive the piston introduced several problems with fit and function in the context of a small 3D print.
To solve for these issues, the second version replaced the lever mechanism with a simple piston with a fixed handle. After 3D printing and testing, I noted several more improvements to make, including a funnel shape that forced the ball valves into place quickly and reliably, alignment features to help with the assembly process, and filleted edges of the piston handle for comfort.
The third and final iteration of the design was tested and pumped 6 fluid ounces of water, exceeding the project requirements by 50%.
The pump was printed in BambuLab PLA Metal (Iron Gray Metallic) using a BambuLab P1P.
Joseph Rudin Portfolio 
Leave a comment