Initial Yo-Yo Design

Our yo-yo design consists of a base, a spinner with a moon and a rocket, an earth, a ring, and a thermoformed clear cover.

Here are some views of our yo-yo solidworks assembly:



The spinner fits loosely around a shaft in the center of the base. The earth snaps onto the shaft above the spinner, and thus keeps the spinner in place. The thermoformed cover fits onto the base, and the ring snaps into the base keeping the cover in place. The earth, spinner, ring, and base are made via injection molding; the molds are machined using mastercam, based on the solidworks parts, and g-code is created for the lathe and mill CNC machines. The thermoformed part is made by heating up a clear sheet of plastic and pushing the mold for the cover into the warmed plastic.

The base, ring, and spinner is made of black plastic. The earth is made of blue plastic. The spinner's moon and rocket will be spray painted different colors and the earth is "stamped" into a sponge of green paint to make the land green.

Design for manufacturing principles were considered in every facet of the design process. Draft angles and overhangs had to be correct for machining and molding, serial laser cutting processes were eliminated due to rate concerns, and parts had to be designed with correct thickness and geometry to allow for good moldflow without significant shrinkage or warping. Tolerance analysis was also conducted to ensure parts that are press fit or loose fit would perform across multiple iterations.