Older people kit for telescopic tree pruner

grabcad

Older individuals frequently engage in gardening activities. Most tasks can be accomplished easily, such as mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, and sowing seeds. However, caring for a tree is significantly more labor-intensive. Removing tall branches, particularly, poses a challenge for older people. Special pruning shears exist that enable cutting high branches, but this always requires considerable effort. Consequently, older individuals are often unable to trim their own branches. Due to the high cost of electric or pneumatic models, mechanical high-pruning shears are frequently used. Sometimes a detachable saw is included, but they cannot be effectively utilized by older people due to poor motor skills. My goal is to minimize effort with an additional module so that older individuals can operate telescopic tree pruners without restrictions. The primary type of actuation is a sliding mechanism where a sleeve slides along the telescopic rod. This mechanism can be found in products such as Fiskars' Tree Pruner Bypass Telescopic Up86-1000598, Gardena's StarCut 410 Plus, and Wolf Garten's PDC-RR400-T Telescopic Tree Cutter. The new design represents an improvement for this type of telescopic tree pruners. Following extensive deliberations, it became apparent that the actuation mechanism is the best starting point for enhancements. Different approaches were then considered and evaluated. The winning design features a crank with a gear stage for power amplification. Since this add-on module should be an easy-to-manufacture kit, 3D printing is ideal. With this manufacturing process, it can be produced without great effort if required. The shafts are made from aluminum to reduce friction between them and the plastic components. Due to 3D printing, it is possible to stiffen the housing where needed. Additionally, the covers can be constructed with great design freedom that is only achievable through 3D printing. More detailed information about the design can be found in the attached images. I am a master's student studying mechanical engineering at the Munich University of Applied Sciences.