Project 2: Tack (stickiness) testing instrument A scientific instrument designed for a sponsoring company. The instrument accurately measures the strength of adhesives (e.g., sticky tape). How it works The stepper motor drives the probe vertically down and presses it onto the sample which is on a glass slide on the sample stage. The probe is pressed down by 25 grams force for 10 seconds then the probe is slowly raised until the tip detaches from the sample. The LVDT measures the force required to remove the probe tip to a resolution of 0.1 gram. The mechanical parts have to be accurately and rigidly mounted to maintain accuracy. The stepper motor, lead screw, linear bearing and the LVDT are supplied by the sponsor. The project is to design the mechanical mountings and fixings needed along with the electronic user interface, motion control and display of the reading, and the shape, arrangement and appearance of the product. Project 2: Tack (stickiness) testing instrument We know the size and arrangement of the key mechanical parts (shown here) but the mechanical assembly, overall size, shape of the enclosure, arrangement of other parts (e.g., cooling fan, circuit boards) and the user interface needs to be designed. The product will be used on a lab bench. As well as the mechanical parts shown, the prototype needs circuit boards for user interface, motion control (motor driver), measuring the force, and displaying the reading. It needs a power cord, cooling fan, on/off master switch. The user interface requires a sample ready indicator, start button a cancel / stop button and a display that can show the reading (up to a max of 25.5 g).