Tube Notcher
By Aqib Habib Memon
Table of Contents
Introduction: ............................................................................................................................... 4
The Design: ................................................................................................................................ 4
Materials: ................................................................................................................................... 7
Bill of Materials: ........................................................................................................................ 7
Appendix I: Engineering Drawings: .......................................................................................... 8
`Table of Figures
Figure 1 Tube Notcher Frame .................................................................................................... 4
Figure 2 Hole Saw Mount .......................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3 Thrust Bearings and Hole Saw .................................................................................... 5
Figure 4 Angle Referencing System for Notcher ...................................................................... 6
Figure 5 Notcher at Maximum Angle ........................................................................................ 6
Figure 6 Tube Mounting ............................................................................................................ 7
Figure 7 Bill of Materials ........................................................................................................... 7
Introduction:
Student Collegiate design competitions are becoming popular in Pakistan and every year new
teams are participating on the international grounds. Unfortunately, Pakistan is still a
developing country and a lot of the tools are not readily available in the market and as a
matter of fact none of the vendors of Pakistan are dedicated to supply parts to the teams
participating for either Formula Student, Baja SAE or IMechE design challenges.
A typical tube notcher costs around $600 in the US and it maybe under budget for most teams
in the US but it is certainly not in Pakistani teams as the cost conversion will make its price
sky rocket. After adding the import and custom duty charges, the final tube notcher price
becomes about $1200-1300. A viable solution is to prepare a tube notcher yourself which can
be used to manufacture roll cage easily and efficiently.
This project is about a concept design of tube notcher that can be 3d printed and used readily.
The Design:
This tube notcher consists of only 5 parts as an assembly. It is designed for the pure intent of
it to be 3D printed using plastic material.
The main part of this design is its frame as shown in Figure 1
Figure 1 Tube Notcher Frame
The frame will consist of the rest of the assembly such as the mountings for tightening the
tube, mounts for hole saw etc. The frame has been specifically designed for 1” outer diameter
pipes as according to the rules of Baja SAE, but it can easily be modified up to 1.25’’ outer
diameter pipes and higher.
The assembly is to be mounted using simple nuts and bolts. There are some concerns for
vibrations regarding the frame if the hole saw mount is not properly fixed to the frame but
this problem is to be investigated at a later stage after the manufacturing of the design.
The hole saw assembly is to be mounted on the right side of the frame by using intermediate
mount which is attached to the frame using three bolts and nuts as shown in Figure 2
Figure 2 Hole Saw Mount
The hole saw assembly consists of bearing mounting with two SKF thrust bearings and a
steel shaft which is shown for demonstration purposes of overall working of the assembly as
shown in Figure 3
Figure 3 Thrust Bearings and Hole Saw
An adjustable screw/bolt has been used to adjust the angle of the tube notcher relative to its
mount. An angle referencing system can be set up on the holesaw mount for proper adjusting
of the angles as shown in Figure 4
Figure 4 Angle Referencing System for Notcher
The maximum angle achieved during the design is about 55° relative to the mount and can be
improved in future designs. The notcher at its maximum angle has been shown in Figure 5
Figure 5 Notcher at Maximum Angle
Tube or pipe is to be mounted on the frame used an L-Shaped arm and mount as shown in
Figure 6
Figure 6 Tube Mounting
Materials:
As the design is simple and can be easily 3D-printed, ABS and PLA are chosen as the
primary materials for 3d printing on the basis of their cost and structural strength. Different
variants of ABS such as ABS M30 can also be used.
Bill of Materials:
A detailed bill of materials for the full working assembly is shown in Figure 7 which shows
all the 4 parts that are to be 3D printed and fasteners that are to be used with the hole saw.
Figure 7 Bill of Materials
Appendix I: Engineering Drawings
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