The Packing Pump

Today I added a clamp and baseboard to the design. Relatively simple, and quite stress-free after I realize I can always come back and remodel the specific clampings. Anyway, relatively simple, so I just talk through what I am doing, and what this part will achieve. I guess the next step is to model the rotational piece that actually causes the linear movement. Right now I am thinking I can make the entire mechanism 3D printed, with very little assembly. Who knows, if this works out nicely, I can make a small Thingaverse listing. video of me modeling the part in Fusion and talking

Whew, that is one wordy title, but I literally can't think of any way to condense it anymore...      I am currently building a more efficient and less labor-intensive way of vacuum pumping my vacuum-sealed bags (check out my previous post).           Anyway, I was originally planning on using a hydraulic actuator to push the pump handle forward and backward, but there was no such option available for a small scale design. The things I could find were huge industrial, Kuka robot type builds. So I looked towards electric actuators, which just have a rack and pinion that is linked to a DC motor, or even a servo. Unfortunately, these designs have very high torque, but abysmal speeds. Not very appropriate for my task. I was doing a bit of research, looking at any similar projects that may have been conducted, when I found a Reddit article, that coincidentally shares the same title as the first part of today's blog header: Best Method of ...

So, we are in full swing of the process of packing and moving to my new home. This isn't our first rodeo, so we have a bit of experience on what to expect, and how to conduct the move. One of the few new products that we are using this time is the vacuum sealed bags ( link ).       They really are a huge help in packing and moving our items, especially compressible ones like clothing, pillows, or even bed sheets, in a small condensed, compact form. It saves space, and keeps everything organized.       The only problem I have with this, is the amount of effort it takes to pump the air out of a bag. I mean, it takes five minutes using the small handheld pump (image below) to fully compress the bag. We ended up just using these practical tools as giant Ziploc bags, completely neglecting the ability to vacuum out all the unused space. Now, you could get a separate motorized vacuum attachment, but that costs more money, and where would the fun be in th...