Assumptions:
1. Antenna will be wounded by hand by a skilled technician
2. Volume to be manufactured: 100-1000 units
3. Fixture to be ready within 1-2 weeks
4. Tables are available for holding the fixture
5. Pitch diameter remains the same
6. Fixtures are manufactured with good precision
7. Fasteners are available
8. Enough resources to manufacture fixtures with different methods
9. Sufficient funds for fixture design and fabrication
Materials:
Since the material of the antenna is Copper
=> Bronze or Steel would be the best choice because they are
10. Stronger, more durable, less susceptible to localized deformation
11. Environmentally friendly, easy to produce with different manufacturing methods
12. Both materials can be coated to prevent environmental degradation
Note: If cost is not an important factor => Steel would be the best choice due to its strength
Important details of the design: (Inspired by the idea of coil winding)
1. Only 5 parts in total (Low number of parts)
2. Parts are designed to be simple, not complicated
3. The fixture is designed for long-term use, and parts can be swapped out for maintenance or replacement
=> Easy to manufacture, assemble, disassemble, and lower the total cost, no limitation to manufacturing methods,
reduce wasted time Bottom half of the bearing to reduce Top half of the bearing that holds the
vibration and hold the shaft in place rotating arm, can be taken out for
Bend the antenna while the while the shaft is rotating rotating arm replacement
shaft is being rotated Antenna stand: hold different
parts, mounted on a table
Bottom half of the bearing
Shaft with flange to wind the antenna into Fixture
that holds the rotating arm
a desired shape and can be swapped out
for replacement, or for a new helical
Bottom half of the bearing antenna with a different configuration
that holds the shaft
Rotating arm to rotate the
shaft, can be swapped out for
replacement or maintenance
How it works:
1. The rotating arm rotates by technicians
2. The shaft with a flange connected to the rotating arm will also rotate
3. During the rotation:
a) The hole drilled on the shaft is used to hold the wire when the shaft is turning
b) The rectangular block is used to facilitate the bending
c) There is a shallow grove on the shaft to ensure the antenna is winded correctly
4. After the antenna is winded, the left bearing can be unfastened to take out the antenna
Manufacturing methods:
Different manufacturing methods can be used since most of the parts do not require extreme precision:
1. Sand casting or die casting can be used on every part
2. Metal 3D-printed can also be considered
3. Holes can be drilled through a drilling process
4. Chamfers can be done with the help of a CNC machine => but since the material is lightweight
=> Optional
5. A small groove on the shaft can be done using a CNC machine through turning process
