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Manufacturing final technical report wesley ha and tenzin ngawang
1. TO: Darlene Webb, Instructor – Business and Communication (BCIT)
Stephen McMillan, Program Head – Mechanical Manufacturing Option (BCIT)
Greg King, Project Manager – Business and Communication (BCIT)
FROM: Wesley Ha, Student (BCIT)
Tenzin Ngawang, Student (BCIT)
DATE: May 15, 2019
SUBJECT: Submission of Final Technical Report for the Design and Manufacture of a Knife
and Sheath.
We are pleased to present our Final Technical Report for the Design and Manufacture of a Knife
and Sheath. The report presents information on the processes required in the design and
development of our knife and sheath, from basic design, to in-shop processes, to a completed
product. This project was authorized on January 4, 2019 and took 200 hours to complete. The
final cost of the project was projected to be $6889.79, including labor and materials required.
The purpose of this project was to design and manufacture a versatile knife that will be able to
retain its sharp edge, while performing in various settings, both indoors and outdoors. The sheath
is required to protect and hold the knife when it is not in use.
During the manufacture of the knife and sheath, we ran into several obstacles that allowed us to
develop and explore skills in other manufacturing processes. The biggest challenge we
encountered was not being able to use and operate the CNC machine at a critical time. For
example, we machined the fixture for the knife blade manually, which may be a skill we can use
later on in our careers.
The deliverables of this project are six fully functional knives with sheaths, along with the
proposal report, proposal presentation, final technical report, display poster for the Mech Expo,
and a final presentation. Throughout the entire project, we worked together on all tasks and
coordinated activities so that each team member shared equally in the workload.
We would like to express our gratitude towards all the guidance and assistance we have received
throughout this project. We would like to thank Stephen McMillan for suggesting improvements
and teaching us how to operate the machines we needed. I would also like to thank Greg King
for his continual encouragement and support, and also his help in the development of our knife
handles. Lastly, we would like to thank Darlene Webb for her continual guidance and editing of
our technical reports.
If you have any questions about the project or this report, please feel free to contact us at
wha5@my.bcit.ca or 604-961-1668, and tngawang@my.bcit.ca or 778-246-6635.
Wesley Ha Tenzin Ngawang
Enclosure: Final Technical Report
2. FINAL REPORT FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF A KNIFE AND
SHEATH
Prepared for
Stephen McMillan
Greg King
Darlene Webb
Prepared by
Wesley Ha, A00779297 MANU 4C
Tenzin Ngawang, A01021292 MANU 4C
BCIT Mechanical Engineering Technology
Submitted on
May 15, 2019
3. 1
SUMMARY
The purpose of this project was to manufacture a multipurpose knife that will be durable and
sharp enough to serve as a tool in several applications. A sheath will also be manufactured to go
along with the knife to guard and retain the knife’s cutting edge. The knife consists of the blade,
tang and handle, which will be accompanied by a sheath.
The knife design will be modeled using a 3D CAD software called SolidWorks and mostly
fabricated by waterjet cutting and manual machining. After the profile of the knife has been
produced, it will go through a hardening process in a furnace to strengthen and toughen the
material.
Three different handles will be created through resin casting and CNC machining, and Waterjet
cutting. The resin casted handles will be comprised of polyester resin and composite material, or
polyester resin and wood. The handles to be Waterjet cut will be cut out from a PVC sheet. The
tang and handle will be assembled by press fitting pins through the pin holes and held together
with epoxy.
The sheath of the knife will be thermoformed and wrapped in carbon fiber and polyester resin
through the application of vacuum bagging for aesthetics.
The motivation for this project is to gain further exposure in the various manufacturing processes
required to manufacture this knife, and to also showcase these skills.
The total cost of the project was projected to be $6,889.79 including material, labour and
operation costs. However, the final cost was $1991.95. The completion date for this project was
on May 15, 2019. The final deliverables at the end of this project were two fully functional
knives in sheaths, the required fixtures made for machining the parts, and a final report.
4. 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Summary......................................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents............................................................................................................................ 2
List of Figures and Tables............................................................................................................... 3
Appendices List .............................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 5
Background..................................................................................................................................... 6
Manufacturing Objectives............................................................................................................... 7
Manufacturing Procedure................................................................................................................ 8
3D Printing ................................................................................................................................................8
Knife and Handle Fixture...........................................................................................................................9
Knife Profile.............................................................................................................................................11
Knife Handles ..........................................................................................................................................12
Bevel Grinding.........................................................................................................................................14
Heat Treatment.......................................................................................................................................15
Sheath .....................................................................................................................................................16
Knife Assembly........................................................................................................................................17
Lessons Learned............................................................................................................................ 18
Proposed Budget ........................................................................................................................... 19
Actual Budget ............................................................................................................................... 20
Timeline........................................................................................................................................ 22
Updated Timeline.......................................................................................................................... 23
Recommendations......................................................................................................................... 24
Resources Required ...................................................................................................................... 25
References..................................................................................................................................... 26
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 26
Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... 28
5. 3
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1. 3D printed handle and tang for fitting............................................................................. 8
Figure 2. SolidWorks model of the fixture plate ............................................................................ 9
Figure 3. Actual fixture................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 4. SolidWorks model of modified fixture.......................................................................... 10
Figure 5. Actual modified fixture ................................................................................................. 10
Figure 6. SolidWorks model of the knife...................................................................................... 11
Figure 7. Actual knife after cutout and bevel grinding................................................................. 11
Figure 8. SolidWorks model of knife handles .............................................................................. 12
Figure 9. Actual handles ............................................................................................................... 12
Figure 10. Cedar wood block set up for thermoforming .............................................................. 12
Figure 11. Thermoformed mold with polyester resin mix............................................................ 13
Figure 12. Setup for bevel grinding on the ELB Surface Grinder................................................ 14
Figure 13. Oxidized knives after heat treatment........................................................................... 15
Figure 14. SolidWorks model of sheath wrapped in carbon fiber ................................................ 16
Figure 15. SolidWorks model of fully assembled knife with sheath............................................ 17
Figure 16. Actual assembled knife................................................................................................ 17
Figure 17. Gantt chart representing the timeline for each task..................................................... 22
Figure 18. Updated Gantt chart representing the timeline for each task ...................................... 23
Table 1. Proposed budget of materials.......................................................................................... 19
Table 2. Proposed budget for labour............................................................................................. 19
Table 3. Proposed total cost of project.......................................................................................... 19
Table 4. Actual budget of materials.............................................................................................. 20
Table 5. Actual budget for labour................................................................................................. 20
Table 6. Actual total cost of project.............................................................................................. 20
6. 4
APPENDICES LIST
Appendices List ............................................................................................................................ 29
Appendix A – Concept Sketch of Knife ....................................................................................... 30
Appendix B – Dimensioned Drawing of SolidWorks Knife Model............................................. 32
Appendix C – Dimensioned Drawing of SolidWorks Handle Model .......................................... 34
Appendix D – Dimensioned Drawing of SolidWorks Fixture Plate............................................. 36
Appendix E – Dimensioned Drawing of SolidWorks Modified Fixture Plate............................. 38
Appendix F – Exploded View of Knife Fixtured on Plate............................................................ 40
Appendix G – Exploded View of Handles Fixtured on Plate....................................................... 42
7. 5
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this project report is to present the manufacturing plan for a multipurpose knife
and sheath. There were several different components involved in the assembly of the knife. This
project was approved by Stephen McMillan on January 9, 2019, and the completion date was
May 9, 2019. Most of the components have been waterjet from pieces of stock material and
manually machined. The fixture and part models that required CNC machining were made using
SolidWorks. The completed models were imported to MasterCAM to generate the G-codes
required for CNC machining. The knife was hardened through a heating treating process
consisting of hardening and plate quenching, then toughened through two tempering cycles. The
handle material was resin casted, machined to thickness, and assembled with the finished knife
using pins and epoxy. Sharpening the knife was completed through the process of wheel and belt
grinding. The sheath was made through thermoforming with the knife profiles as a mold.
The motivation for completing this assignment was to gain experience in designing and
fabricating an object that required several different manufacturing processes learned at BCIT.
This will provide a lot of experience that will be helpful after graduation. A future career can
require an object to be designed with the best manufacturing processes for making that object.
This will benefit problem solving and time management skills in designing, coding and
manufacturing several different components of different materials.
Knife designs and material selection were inspired by Jay Fisher at https://www.jayfisher.com.
Hardening processes were possible with the help of individual on
https://www.bladesmithsforum.com.
8. 6
BACKGROUND
The main reason for choosing to design and manufacture a custom knife and sheath was due to
the interest of custom knives. Especially chef knives, so the design reflects a hybrid between
chef knife and a chopper. It is a hybrid to prevent limiting the functionality of the knife because
it should be capable of performing outside of the kitchen as well. Expensive chef knives can
easily chip and bend on the edges and tips from light cutting, so this knife was designed to
prevent any damage from occurring. The intent is to design a durable knife that is comfortable to
use in the kitchen and be able to withstand some abuse if taken outside for camping, or to use in
a shop.
The project was inspired by a video that Stephen showed during a lecture in MECH 3314 called
“Making a knife blade with CNC” found on YouTube. The video very interesting because it
showed that a knife could be made almost entirely through machining. It was surprising because
knives were usually manually made through forging and hammering. Bladesmiths perform this
manual process to make strong and valuable knives. However, this video showed a version of a
modern bladesmith. The knives were made almost entirely through machining. Everything
performed was very calculated, precise and the process was continuously improving over time.
The knives were able to be exactly replicated every single time to a miniscule tolerance or
difference. Since the process was so refined and precise, every knife made was of extremely high
quality. Since the manufacturing process was mostly done by all machines it does not account for
several human errors that can occur through manual knife making, which is what lead to the idea
that machining a knife would produce a better knife than manually forging one.
This video opened a whole new world of thinking because the video showed the modernized
manufacturing process for a product. As a response to this manufacturing process, inspiration
and motivation lead to creating a manufacturing process that would produce knives of much
higher quality than expensive ones that can be bought from a store or bladesmith. In this project,
more modern knife-making processes will be used to produce more durable, functional, and
aesthetic knives.
9. 7
MANUFACTURING OBJECTIVES
The manufacturing objectives for this project are to:
Sketch several design concepts for the knife and fixture required for machining.
Model the desired design in SolidWorks.
3D print the handle portion of the knife to evaluate the design and fitting in the hands.
Alter or make changes to knife model as required.
Perform polyester resin composite and wood casting for the handles.
Import the models from SolidWorks to MasterCAM to generate codes required for CNC
machining.
Export models as a DXF file required for Waterjet cutting.
CNC or manual machine the fixture.
Waterjet cut the profile of the knife.
Thermoform the sheath using the profile of the knife.
CNC machine or Waterjet cut the knife handles.
Grind the bevel of the knife.
Heat treat the knife.
Grind, polish and sharpen the knife.
Assemble the knife with the handles using pins and epoxy.
10. 8
MANUFACTURING PROCEDURE
3D PRINTING
The knife was 3D printed to evaluate the design and ensure it felt good in the hands of the users.
The 3D printer was only able to print objects up to 8 inches long, so only half of the knife,
including the handle portion was printed. The SolidWorks model was saved as a SDL file and
imported to Ultimaker Cura to prepare for 3D printing. The orientation of the parts, desired
settings and material were selected, then the printing process was initiated.
Initially the handles of the first model were too long and uncomfortable, so the model was
revised to have a shorter tang and longer blade. The 3D process was repeated, and the fitting was
good. The main manufacturing processes were carried out afterwards.
Figure 1. 3D printed handle and tang for fitting
11. 9
KNIFE AND HANDLE FIXTURE
The fixture was designed to be a double sided fixture used for CNC machining the knife bevel
and the handles. The top side can hold two knives in place with nuts and bolts, while the CNC
machines the bevel of the knife in one operation. The knives are then flipped to be machined on
the other side and a support is installed to prevent the edge from rolling while creating a double
bevel. The bottom side of the fixture is used to contour the polyester resin composite material
into the desired handle shape.
Figure 2. SolidWorks model of the fixture plate
Figure 3. Actual fixture with bolts installed
The fixture was modeled in SolidWorks and imported to MasterCAM to generate the CNC codes
required for machining the holes. However, due to the extensive queue time for the CNC
machine, the fixture was manually milled using a vertical mill. All the holes were center drilled
to a 0.15” depth to prepare for spot drilling. Afterwards, all holes were drilled with a #17 drill all
the way through. A two flute center cutting HSS end mill was used to create a 0.50” diameter,
0.25” deep counterbore to prevent the screw heads from extruding from the surface of the plate.
The holes were then tapped with a ¼-UNC thread tapper and the burrs were filed to create a flat
surface.
The fixture plate had to be slightly modified due to the change of processes. Due to long queue
times, the CNC machine was not available when needed. As a result, the fixture plate was cut
into two pieces with the use of a band saw so it could be used on the grinding machine, which
will be further discussed later in this report.
13. 11
KNIFE PROFILE
The knife profile was Waterjet cut from the stock piece of 440C stainless steel. The stock
material received for the knife was too long to be placed in the Waterjet cutter, so it was cut into
3 equal pieces of 24” using a band saw.
Figure 6. SolidWorks model of the knife
Figure 7. Actual knife after cutout and bevel grinding
The knife profile was modeled in SolidWorks, then exported as a DXF (drawing) file to be
Waterjet cut. The DXF file was imported to Omax Layout to prepare the required toolpaths and
quality of cut. A high quality cut of 4 was selected and the drawing was scanned and repaired for
any deficiencies. Tabs were placed on the part to prevent them from falling out after they’ve
been cut out, and the toolpath was auto generated. The file was opened in Omax Maker to
prepare for cutting. The material was selected, and the dimensions were inputted with extra
thickness to ensure the material was cut all the way through. The stock material was securely
fixtured in the Waterjet cutter. Since the material was very thin and narrow, it was sandwiched
between 3 plates and clamped to ensure it stayed in place while being cut. The machine was
topped off with sand and the water level was decreased for visibility. The tip of the cutter was
zeroed in the X, Y and Z direction very carefully and the water level was raised. After everything
was reviewed and seemed to be ready for safe operation, the operation was started. After the
operation was completed, the cutter was raised, and the parts were removed from the machine.
14. 12
KNIFE HANDLES
Three different handle materials were made for the knife; polyester resin composite, wood
composite, and PVC.
Figure 8. SolidWorks model of knife handles
Figure 9. Actual handles
A mold was thermoformed in preparation for the composite handles. The mold was made using
cedar wood cut into 1” x 2” x 4.5” rectangular blocks using a vertical band saw. The four blocks
were placed in the thermoforming machine and a sheet of high impact polystyrene was
thermoformed to create four individual handle molds.
Figure 10. Cedar wood block set up for thermoforming
15. 13
Figure 11. Thermoformed mold with polyester resin mix
The polyester resin composite consisted of 400 – 500g of polyester resin, 8 – 10g MEKP
catalyst, one handful of milled fiberglass, and a food colouring of choice. The milled fiberglass
was used as a reinforcement to strengthen the handle material. This procedure was completed by
mixing the materials in a plastic container and poured into the molds to cure overnight.
The wood composite consisted of the same materials as the polyester resin composite, but cedar
wood was cut slightly smaller than stock size (1” x 2” x 4.5”) and sections were cut out to allow
for the polyester resin to fill in. The cedar wood was placed inside the molds and the polyester
resin mix was slowly poured into the molds and left to cure overnight.
Both the polyester resin composite and wood composite were manually milled on the vertical
mill to ensure both surfaces were flat. The surfaces must be flat, so they do not affect the
accuracy when placed on the fixture and CNC machined to shape.
The PVC handles were cut out from a PVC sheet using the Waterjet cutter. Similar to the knife
profile cutout, the handle model was exported as a DXF file and prepared on Omax Layout and
Omax Maker, then cut out. The knife handle pin holes were tapped with a ¼-UNC tap and
fixtured on the fixture with a ¼” x 0.75” screw. The fixture was securely fixed in a vise and the
handles were manually milled down to their desired thickness of 0.30”.
Due to the lack of sharp tools and the brittleness of the polyester resin, the handles made from
polyester resin were damaged in the process of milling. As a result, further machining was
discontinued, and PVC handles were Waterjet cut as a backup option and milled to proper
thickness. Also, the wood composite did not turn out as expected due to a lack of experience.
16. 14
BEVEL GRINDING
The bevel grinding process was done on the ELB Surface Grinder instead of the CNC machine
because of long queue times for the CNC machine.
The initial fixture was too big to fit on the magnetized base plate on the surface grinding
machine, so the fixture was cut in half to grind one knife at a time. Four ¼” x 0.5” screws were
screwed into the fixture plate on the opposing side of the knife to create a consistent angle for
grinding the knife bevel. The knife was held in the fixture with two nuts and bolts, using the
knife’s two pin holes. The aluminum fixture plate was not magnetic, so it was sandwiched
between steel plates on all sides to prevent the fixture from moving. The machine was adjusted
in the X-position to ensure that the machine only fed across the knife’s blade and avoided cutting
the tang. The Y-position was adjusted to give the desired plunge of the bevel. The depth of cut
for each pass was 0.0005” for a total depth of cut of 0.03”. The knife was flipped over to the
other side and the same procedure was performed to give the knife a double bevel. The grinding
machine only produced a straight bevel, so the curved bevel towards the tip of the knife was
achieved by manually grinding each side on a belt grinder until the desired edge was attained.
Figure 12. Setup for bevel grinding on the ELB Surface Grinder
17. 15
HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treating and plate quenching was performed on the knives to harden the steel, followed by
two tempering cycles to toughen the steel. Heating the steel to its specified temperature allows
for a change in grain structure (formation of Martensite), which changes the properties of the
steel to increase hardness and other properties such as corrosion resistance. Due to the capacity
of the furnace and lack of resources, the heat treating procedure was slightly modified.
The knives were placed inside the furnace and heated up to 1850°F to soak for 30 minutes. The
total heating time took approximately 6 hours. Afterwards, the knives were carefully removed
from the furnace and plate quenched (placed in between two steel plates) to cool for two days.
Afterwards, the knives underwent two tempering cycles at 350°F for two hours each cycle. The
blades were air cooled for 30 minutes in between the tempering cycles.
The knives were then tested for hardness to see whether the heat treatment was successful or not.
A file test was performed, which required taking a file and skidding it across an edge of the
knife. The file skid smoothly along the edge, signifying that the knife was harder than the file,
meaning the heat treatment was successful. If the file was to bite into the knife or roughly skid
across, the hardening process would have to be repeated.
Figure 13. Oxidized knives after heat treatment
The proper method for heat treatment would be to wrap each knife in stainless steel foil to
prevent oxidation and start the process as followed:
Preheat to 1250°F and soak for 15 minutes
Raise to 1450°F and soak for 15 minutes
Raise to 1900°F and soak for 30 minutes
Remove knives and plate quench until they are cool enough to touch with gloves
Place knives in a liquid nitrogen bath overnight to freeze the grain structure
Temper knives the following morning
18. 16
SHEATH
Unfortunately, the sheath was not made due to poor time management and the unavailability of
machines needed to fabricate it.
Figure 14. SolidWorks model of sheath wrapped in carbon fiber
The initial plan was to 3D print the sheath and wrap it in carbon fiber to increase the strength and
aesthetics. However, due to poor time management and the long queue times for the 3D printer,
this process was not completed.
The backup plan was to make the sheath through thermoforming, using high impact polystyrene.
Two opposing knife sides would be placed in the thermoformer to form two equal and opposing
halves of the sheath. Afterwards, the sheath halves would be cut out with a small extended flap
to allow for joining. The outlines would be coated with a thin, even layer of industrial epoxy and
held together to allow the epoxy to cure, holding the two halves together.
19. 17
KNIFE ASSEMBLY
Following the heat treatment, the knives were grinded using a handheld pneumatic grinder with
an 80 grit sandpaper head attachment to clean the oxidation and impurities formed on the knife
steel from heat treating.
The handle pins, or steel rod was cut into pieces slightly longer than the knife tang and handles
using a vertical band saw. The pin diameters were grinded down slightly with a belt grinder to
enable them to fit in the handle and tang holes. The inside of the handles and the outside of the
pins were coated with industrial epoxy, press fitted and clamped together for 30 minutes to allow
the epoxy to cure. The excess pin handle lengths were grinded down using the belt grinder.
Figure 15. SolidWorks model of fully assembled knife with sheath
Figure 16. Actual assembled knife
20. 18
LESSONS LEARNED
Throughout the course of the project leading up to completion, several lessons have been
learned. Some lessons learned are listed below:
Complete process planning prior to any manufacturing.
Have backup plans or processes prepared for every component to overcome any obstacles
encountered.
Time management; overestimate completion time for each component or process to allow
for adequate buffer time.
Designing and manufacturing a product is a long process that requires plenty of planning
before any execution.
Do not try to rush any processes to make up for time, because it can lead to irrational
thinking and several errors.
Perform adequate research in fields lacking knowledge.
21. 19
PROPOSED BUDGET
The budget for this project was projected to be $5,896.07. Below a breakdown of the overall
costs:
Table 1. Proposed budget of materials
Item Dimensions Quantity Cost
440C Stainless Steel
Stock
1/8” x 2” x 12” 4 $119.88
6061 Extruded
Aluminum
3/4” x 3” x 13” 3 $47.91
Carbon Fiber 10.9oz x 60” 8HS Sheet 1 $68.20
Polyester Resin 500 mL 1 $21.57
Brass Handle Pins 1/8” x 36” 1 $12.10
Cherry Wood - 1 $26.41
Total $296.07
Table 2. Proposed budget for labour
Operation Hourly Rate Time (hours) Cost
Machine Costs and Setup $30 20 $600.00
Labor $25 200 $5000.00
Total $5600.00
Table 3. Proposed total cost of project
Cost
Materials $296.07
Labour $5600.00
Total $5896.07
Most costs were going into the estimated 200 hours of labour. However, this was just a
theoretical value since all the labour was performed for free by students at BCIT. The only
material needed to be purchased were the stock pieces of steel used to make the knife. The stock
steel was listed at $29.97 per piece at www.knifemaker.ca. All the other materials were readily
available to use in the shop. The overall budget was subject to change in case of any
complications or challenges that may arise in the future.
22. 20
ACTUAL BUDGET
The budget for this project was $1991.95. Below is a breakdown of the overall costs:
Table 4. Actual budget of materials
Item Dimensions Quantity Cost
440C Stainless Steel Stock 1/8” x 2” x 72” 1 $176.10
6061 Aluminum Plate 3/4” x 3” x 20” 1 $26.07
Polyester Resin 1L 1 $29.99
MEKP Catalyst 60mL 1 $4.99
1018 Cold Rolled Steel Rod 1/4” x 48” 1 $4.80
Cedar Lumber 1” x 2” x 96” 1 $4.29
Translucent High Impact Polystyrene 0.030” x 26” x 72” 1 $3.50
PVC Sheet 3/8” x 12” x 24” 1 $27.25
Total $241.95
Table 5. Actual budget for labour
Operation Hourly Rate Time (hours) Cost
SolidWorks Modelling $30.00 18 $540.00
MasterCAM Code Generation $25.00 6 $150.00
Composite Casting $20.00 14 $280.00
Manual Milling $20.00 6 $120.00
Waterjet Cutting $20.00 2 $40.00
Bladesmithing $25.00 30 $750.00
General Laborer Duties $15.00 6 $90.00
Total $1970.00
Table 6. Actual total cost of project
Cost
Materials $241.95
Labour $1970.00
Total $1991.95
This budget represents a more refined and detailed estimate of the total project cost opposed to
the projected budget. Again, the calculated labour is a theoretical value because it was performed
for free by BCIT students. Much the same as the proposed budget, most of the materials cost
went towards the stock of stainless steel required to manufacture the knife. The stainless steel
23. 21
stock was the only material that was purchased, everything else was available in house and
provided by BCIT. The prices for the other materials were rough estimates found online. As for
the labour, most of the hours were dedicated to bladesmithing, which included heat treating,
grinding, polishing, and assembly of the knife. General laborer duties included setup of
machines, tool changes, and cleanup.
24. 22
TIMELINE
Figure 17. Gantt chart representing the timeline for each task
The produced Gantt chart above was a rough estimate of the start and end date of each task or
procedure performed. It was designed as a schedule to keep everything in order to complete the
project. It was predicted that all our manufacturing processes would be completed by April 5,
2019. This would allow for ample buffer time in case any problems occurred. The extra time
would allow for any design and procedure alterations or along the way. This also allowed for
extra time to complete the poster board for the BCIT Mech Expo and the final project report.
Project Approval
Knife and Sheath Design
Material Selection
Fixture Design
Proposal Report
3D Print Prototype
Epoxy Casting for Handles
Order Materials
CNC Machine Fixtures
CNC Waterjet Cut Knife Profile
3D Print Sheath
Vacuum Bag Sheath
CNC Machine Knife Handles
Laser Engraving
Heat Treating
Assembly and Final Touches
Final Project Report
MECH Project Expo
Gantt Chart
25. 23
UPDATED TIMELINE
Figure 18. Updated Gantt chart representing the timeline for each task
The produced Gantt chart above was the actual start and end date of each task or procedure
performed. Each process took a lot longer than predicted due to complications and revisions
along the way. The project was predicted to be completed by April 5, 2019. However, the project
was completed on the last day it was required to be completed, which was May 9, 2019. Even
though the project was completed, the product was not as visually pleasing as expected.
Project approval
Knife and Sheath Design
Material/Stock selection
Proposal Report
MasterCAM for Jig and fixtures
3D Printing
Order materials
Handle Manufacturing
Machine Fixtures
Final Project Report
Knife Bevel Machining
Heat Treatment
Assembly and Final Touches
Actual Gantt Chart
26. 24
RECOMMENDATIONS
There are several recommendations for an individual to design and manufacture a knife and
sheath, because there are several methods in doing so.
In selecting the knife material, perform an adequate amount of research to ensure the material is
easy to work with. Selecting the right material results in an easier time heat treating and
machining. 440C stainless steel was a very good steel to choose because of its hardness.
However, this hardness affected the machinability of the material, making it difficult to grind. It
also oxidized very easily, which required a more controlled heat treatment.
Have several backup plans or processes readily available and easy to switch over to incase there
are long queue times for machines, or if something goes wrong and causes a change in plans.
Almost all initial procedures for manufacturing this knife and sheath were changed. Some of
these procedures were not ideal, so more time should be put into thinking of back up plans to
avoid errors and complications.
Time management was very important and often overlooked during the duration of the project.
Many unproductive hours were spent during lab time which lead to panic and rushing in the end.
Follow the Gantt chart as closely as possible to avoid this. All process plans should be completed
prior to receiving material, so procedures can be correctly carried out as soon as material is
received. This will also help avoid long queue times, as not many others were prepared.
Research or verify the capacity of machines before operating them. The furnace used for heat
treating the knife was not very efficient. It could not maintain the temperature required to harden
the knife for the specified amount of time. The temperature fluctuated when it reached the
required temperature. Also, the furnace took a lot longer to heat up then expected, which may
have affected the hardening process.
Lastly, try to have fun and take advantage of the knowledge provided by instructors to learn
more about manufacturing.
27. 25
RESOURCES REQUIRED
Several resources were required for the completion of this project. These resources can be found
categorized below.
People
Stephen McMillan
Greg King
Darlene Webb
Brian Ennis
Chris Townsend
Machinery
Vertical Milling Machine
ELB Grinding Machine
Thermoforming Machine
OMAX Waterjet Cutter
Horizontal Belt Grinder
Vertical and Horizontal Band saw
Ultimaker 3D Printer
Software
SolidWorks 2019
MasterCAM 2019
OMAX Layout
OMAX Maker
Ultimaker Cura
Materials
440C Stainless Steel Stock
Polyester Resin
MEKP Catalyst
Cedar Wood
Aluminum Plate
Nuts and Bolts
PVC Sheet
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CONCLUSION
Upon completion of this project, several different processes have been used to complete a
multifunctional custom knife. These processes represent a more modern way of manufacturing a
knife and sheath, opposed to the more dated techniques used. Hand forged knives were thought
to be better in quality than stamped or machined knives. However, following the procedures
outlined in this report, high quality knives can be produced with little experience. They can also
be produced at a faster and cheaper rate.
Several challenges were encountered throughout the course of the project that affected the final
product. The knife was completed, but not to the expected standards. The knife was not
sharpened to the desired sharpness and the handles were not round out or filleted at the outside
edges to provide comfort when holding. The bevel was not ground as nicely as the SolidWorks
model due to the lack of the CNC machine and inexperience in belt grinding.
The sheath was not complete due to the unavailability of the 3D printer and thermoforming
machine. Due to the extensive queue time and poor time management, the 3D printer was
unavailable when it was needed. The thermoforming machine was broken and did not get
repaired throughout the course of the project.
Regardless of the obstacles encountered, the final product was still satisfactory and functioned
the way it was intended to.
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REFERENCES
Apelt, Stacy E. “Cooling from Temper.” BladeForums, Xenforo Ltd., 11 November 2012,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/cooling-from-temper.1009018/
Fisher, Jay. “Heat Treating and Cryogenic Processing of Knife Blade Steels.” Jay Fisher – Fine
Custom Knives, The Jay Fisher Company, 2014,https://www.jayfisher.com/Heat_
Treating_Cryogenic_Processing_of_Knife_Blade_Steels.htm#440C%20cryogenic%20tre
atment
J. D. “Heat Treating 440C Stainless.” BladeForums, Xenforo Ltd., 24 March 2007,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/heat-treating-440c-stainless.463148/
“CRUCIBLE 440C.” Crucible Industries,
https://www.crucible.com/eselector/prodbyapp/stainless/cru440cs.html
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Completion of this project would not have been possible without the help of Stephen McMillan,
Darlene Webb, Greg King, Brian Ennis and Chris Townsend. We would like to give an immense
thank you to these individuals who helped us with our project from the very beginning to the
end.
Thank you, Stephen McMillan, our program head and project coordinator/supervisor for
troubleshooting any problems we had with operating machinery. Helping with any software
issues we had in designing our knife SolidWorks and generating toolpaths in MasterCAM. As
the project progressed, several problems arose, and Stephen was able to suggest alternatives in
using different machinery or different processes.
Thank you, Darlene Webb, our communications instructor was for helping us prepare for our
presentations and reports. Also, for the constant motivation and for scheduling several open labs
to allow students the flexibility to ask for any help they needed.
Thank you, Greg King, our project manager was for helping us manage our time for this project
and offering a lot of knowledge and suggestions for helping us make our handles, or any other
plastic parts we needed. Also, for the constant motivation and always being available outside of
lab hours to help with any issues we had.
Thank you, Brian Ennis, our lab instructor for assisting us with any manual machines we used
and ensured safe operation of the machines. Also, for aiding us in selecting the appropriate tools
to use and helping with several problem solving issues we had.
Thank you, Chris Townsend, the shop manager at BCIT for extending the shop hours, so we
were able to complete our work and for assisting us with using any machines in the shop.
