Myles Lynch is a junior studying mechanical engineering at the University of Miami, with a passion for product design and tackling challenging engineering problems. The document details significant projects, including an upgrade of an assembly line mechanism, a final design project for an automatic window blind system, and participation in NASA's robotic mining competition. Each project highlights specific challenges, designs, and learning experiences throughout his academic career.

1. Engineering Portfolio
Myles Lynch
University of Miami
BSME 2017

2. About me
 I was born near Boston, MA however most of my childhood was spent in New
Hampshire
 Currently I am a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of
Miami
 Extremely passionate about product design/engineering
 My ideal job consists of tackling difficult problems that will make life easier
and/or more enjoyable for the general population
 Ideally, throughout my career I will be working on multiple different types of
products (i.e. consumer goods, HVAC, machine design, etc.)

3. Major Projects
 Slides 4-6: Betech Assembly Line Upgrade
 Slides 6-8: MAE 341 Final Design Project
 Slides 8-10: NASA Robotic Mining Competition Robot
 Slides 10-12: MAE 309 Design Project
 Slides 12-14: Personal Project

4. Betech Assembly Line Upgrade Overview
July-August 2015 Watts Water Technologies Internship
 Problem: Previous “feeder bowl” mechanism (example image below, on left
side) for delivering gaskets to the dial would continuously become clogged,
requiring the assembly process to be stopped until an operator could travel
over to the machine and correct it. This caused excessive down time and was
an annoyance to the employees.
 Project: Design a new system (3D models shown below in center and to right)
that could replace the old feeder bowl entirely. This new machine would need
to be low maintenance, as well as operate with as few electrical components
as possible.

5. Betech Assembly Line Upgrade Challenges
July-August 2015 Watts Water Technologies Internship
 Compressibility of gaskets cause inconsistent vertical positioning
 Design of a container for the gaskets that allows placement without removal
from packaging
 Space requirements
 Changing of gasket supply can’t interfere with the system
 Electrical components were to be limited as much as possible
 Sealing efficiency must be extremely high (missed seals cannot occur under
normal operation)

6. Betech Assembly Line Upgrade Design
July-August 2015 Watts Water Technologies Internship
 A system of pneumatic devices that remove gaskets from their packaging,
bring them to their required location on the dial, and then release them. A
pneumatic cylinder lifts the gaskets up to the required height, which is where
a second pneumatic cylinder would lower a custom designed head to meet
the top gasket. A pressure regulator would then create a vacuum seal
between the head and the gasket, so that when the second cylinder retracts,
a gasket is pulled with it. A third pneumatic cylinder then moved the gasket
over to the dial, where the second cylinder would extend again and the
vacuum seal would be removed, placing the gasket in its seat on the dial. This
would repeat until the gasket supply was too low for the head to reach and
create a seal. Then the operator would replace the exhausted supply with a
new package and the cycle would reset.

7. MAE 341 Final Design Project Overview
November-December 2015 Mechanical Design Course
 Project: Design and prototype a system containing two of the following three
mechanisms: four-bar linkage, gear train, and cam-shaft
 Idea: It was decided to create a device that would automatically raise the
blinds of a standard window. Inspiration came for this project from an idea of
synchronizing a machine to an alarm clock app for a smartphone, where when
the alarm sounds, the device will allow more light into the room to aid the
user with awakening.

8. MAE 341 Final Design Project Challenges
November-December 2015 Mechanical Design Course
 Limited dimensional capabilities of 3D printer
 Self-locking system needed to prevent stress on the motor
 Precise timing needed to prevent follower/link interference

9. MAE 341 Final Design Project Design
November-December 2015 Mechanical Design Course
 The design consists of a compound gear train, a four-bar linkage, and a cam
system
 A 90 degree servo motor (Replacing the handle in both the model and prototype)
rotates both the input link and first gear. The input link moves with similar motion
to the output link which pulls down the strings of the blinds. This opens the blinds,
allowing light to enter the room. The first gear, when turned, begins the motion of
the first set of gears. The first set of gears consists of three spur gears, and has an
overall 1:1 gear ratio. The second set of gears consists of two bevel gears that also
have a 1:1 gear ratio. The bevel gears change the axis of rotation, allowing the
gear to turn the shaft and therefore the cam as well. The follower, when the
motor first starts turning, is fully retracted. As the cam rotates, the follower is
pushed out ending in the locked position. When the blinds try to close back down
the output link will be pulled up and will be stopped and held in place by the
follower. The follower is not spring loaded, and therefore will not automatically
return to the initial position as this would remove the designed interference.
 Future designs would incorporate a wireless connection to a smartphone alarm
clock application, allowing the synchronization of the alarm and the entering
light.

10. NASA Robotic Mining Competition Overview
February-May 2015 Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
 Intercollegiate competition hosted by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center
including 47 teams from all over the country
 Project: Design a remote controlled or autonomous vehicle that will venture
into a “mining area” and extract a replicate Martian soil. The vehicle will
then return to the starting point and deposit the mined material in to a
collection bin.
 Goal: Design the lightest weight vehicle that can complete the task needed.
More emphasis was placed on weight and efficiency in design than on total
mass collected.

11. NASA Robotic Mining Competition Challenges
February-May 2015 Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
 Incorrect parts were ordered, requiring a nearly completely new design with
less than a month until the competition
 Initial lack of knowledge about electrical and computer systems
 Competition took place after the end of the semester, forcing us to complete
the project short-handed

12. NASA Robotic Mining Competition Design
February-May 2015 Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
 Design consisted of five motors and two direct current linear actuators that
were regulated by an Arduino UNO. Four of the motors powered their own
wheel with the fifth motor turning a ten inch diameter auger bit. The auger
bit was attached to the coupler of a four bar linkage. The coupler was the
storage bin where the extracted soil was kept. The other two non-ground
links of the four bar linkage were 30 inch stroke linear actuators. As the
actuators extend and retract, the auger moves and tilts so that there are 3
distinct positions. The first of which being the start position, where the
system was to be at the beginning of the competition so that it would meet
the size constraints. The second and third position were respectively the
digging and dumping positions. Without the programming ability to create
autonomous function, the vehicle was controlled remotely.
 This was the lightest weight design in the competition.