Mechanical design & prototyping / Illinois MakerLab / 2026
Tissue Clamp Assembly
I designed and printed a tissue-clamp assembly, then identified changes to its sliding parts, connections, and fasteners.
Overview
Making the connections work together.
The tissue clamp brings a frame, rods, sliders, and screws together in a compact assembly. I designed it in CAD and printed prototypes, with attention to how the parts connected and moved together.
The prototype and revision notes identified the next changes: thicker slides and connections, larger screws, and fewer fasteners underneath. These findings gave the next design revision a concrete starting point.
The work shown here is design and prototyping. Clamping performance has not yet been measured.
Designing the assembly in CAD
I designed the frame, rods, sliding clamps, and screw connections as one assembly. The interfaces mattered as much as the overall shape: each part had to fit into the compact layout while allowing the sliding parts to move.
The CAD view shows those parts together before printing, making the connections and fastener arrangement visible.
Using the prototype to plan the next revision
I printed prototypes to bring the CAD design into a physical assembly. The prototype and revision notes helped identify changes to the slides, screws, connections, and fasteners underneath.
Thicker slides and connections, larger screws, and fewer underside fasteners were planned for the next revision. The prototype gave me specific changes to work on before evaluating clamping performance.
Project documentation
The CAD view, prototype photograph, and revision notes document the design and prototyping work described above.