A mechanical shutter design plan
This mechanical shutter is a functional unit that can be used on industrial product. It is not designed for cameras. All parts are designed towards to manufacturing purpose. It can be used as an industrial lens protector. Of course, it is not only a lens protector, you can use it in any occasions as needed. In this article, we will introduce the mechanism. The introduction is based on D20T3B4 TY1.
How to assemble the mechanical shutter
Figure 1
In Figure 1, we can see there are total 11 different parts in the design plan. All parts’ material should be metal. After you fabricated these parts, try to measure some main dimensions according to the 2d drawing-we need to ensure the dimensions are correct. If you don’t have enough measurement tools, another way is to do a pre-assembly test. But you cannot assemble these parts with a hammer, otherwise the mechanism will be broken.
To make it run smoothly, we suggest to add a bit lubricating grease. After you ensure the mechanism can run well, you can add some locking glue on the screws to lock the parts. Because the screws are only 1.6 mm in diameter, don’t add too much force.
The “Drive Gear“（ D20.009) is optional. If you plan to use this part, you will find another gear is needed too, and you can try to choose the gear that can work with part D20.009.
How to run the mechanical shutter
Figure 2
You can run the mechanism manually. Or you can assemble a motor too. In industrial products, usually we use a motor to make it work. In figure 2, we can see, when we rotate part D20.006 or D20.009, the blades (part D20.002 and D20.003) can close or open gradually. When the angle in figure 2 is 0 degree (parallel), the blades close completely; when the angle is 48~48.2 degree, the blades open completely. So if you plan to use a motor on the mechanism, we suggest using a stepping motor.
What material you should use
Many materials can be used to fabricate these parts. If you don’t have enough knowledge about materials, just use materials described in the 2d drawing. We don’t suggest using plastic. Of course, if you just want to make a prototype, you can use any material that can work.
Where to manufacture the mechanical parts
If you have industrial machines, such as CNC machine center、lathers, usually you can manufacture these parts by yourself. If you need to find some suppliers to help you, this article may help you.
Sometimes you may not want to manufacture all the parts in one factory, you can do that like this:
Supplier A: D20.001, D20.008;
Supplier B: D20.002, D20.003, D20.004, D20.009; Supplier C: D20.005, D20.006, D20.007 .
If you only have 2 suppliers, you can do that like this:
Supplier 1: D20.001, D20.008, D20.005, D20.006, D20.007; Supplier 2: D20.002, D20.003, D20.004, D20.009.
More about the mechanism:
https://www.tanerxun.com/mechanical-shutter-design-plan/.html