Air Powered Motor

thingiverse

Originally, as a child, I had an air-powered toy car that sparked my interest. Yesterday, I came up with the idea to design an air-powered motor for various applications. While the animated GIF at this link (http://www.animatedengines.com/co2.shtml) explains the concept perfectly, my design process is still ongoing. I completed the design work today, but have yet to print it and check for any flaws. In order to simplify printing, the design may be slightly over-engineered. However, the motor will be compact (6.28cc capacity), allowing for easy printing of all parts. One unique feature of my design is that multiple motors can be connected in a daisy chain to create a multi-cylinder engine. Currently, the only missing part is a 3mm wrist pin connecting the piston to the con-rod. As this is a work in progress, I am unsure of the clearances and how freely the motor will turn once assembled. To build one single-cylinder motor, you will need: 1 x valve cover.STL 1 x cylinder head.STL 1 x cylinder block.STL 1 x piston.STL 1 x piston valve pin.STL 1 x conrod.STL 2 x conrod - piston spacers.STL 2 x conrod - crank spacers.STL 2 x crank arms.STL 1 x crank big end journal.STL 2 x crank main journal.STL 1 x crank case.STL In addition to these parts, you will need: - A soft compression spring (6mm o.d. x 12mm long) from an AA battery holder or similar - A 6mm plastic BB pellet - 8 x M3 x 10mm screws - 4 x M3 x 25mm screws - A 18-19mm x 3mm pin or filament - A bottle to compress air - Tubing connecting the air-bottle to the valve cover inlet To assemble, follow these steps: 1. Clean up all holes in the parts. Tap the top and bottom corner holes of the cylinder block and 4 holes on the top of the cylinder head to M3. 2. Place the BB pellet into the cylinder head's bottom hole, followed by the spring. Secure with 4 x 10mm screws by attaching the valve cover. 3. Screw the cylinder head assembly onto the cylinder block using 4 x 10mm screws. 4. Install a crank arm's big-end journal, followed by a conrod crank spacer, the conrod, and another crank spacer. Attach the other crank arm so both arms are parallel and in the same direction, with raised edges on the outside of the assembly. Insert the 2 crank main journals into the holes with raised edges. 5. Place the piston onto the con-rod, along with the 3mm pin/filament connecting them. Drop this entire piston and crank assembly into the cylinder block from the bottom (piston first). Ensure the 2 crank main journals rest in the notches at the bottom of the block. 6. Install the crank case and secure with 4 x 25mm screws. 7. Fill your air "reservoir" and connect the tubing from it to the intake valve on top. Allow the motor to spin until the air supply is depleted. If all components are loose enough, it should run independently.