During my junior year, I took 2.008, Design and Manufacturing II. A large component of the class was applying what we’ve learned in lecture to design a yo-yo that can be manufactured with injection molding and thermoforming.
The injection molding process required us to CAD the part, its corresponding molds, create toolpaths, machine them, iterate a few times, run the IM machine, optimize process parameters, and track key component metrics.
We designed our tolerances so that the different parts snap-fit together to eliminate the need for fasteners. Additionally, we used overmolding to reduce the total number of parts requiring assembly.
Our yo-yo was modeled on Iron Man’s arc reactor, and we made LED circuits that light up when the yo-yo spins. Making the circuits consisted of PCB design, outsourcing PCB manufacturing, component selection, and soldering.
Seiji Engelkemier 