Older people kit for telescopic tree pruner

grabcad

Old people often do gardening. Most of the work can be done easily e.g. cut the lawn, pluck weeds and sow seed. But it is a lot more work to take care of a tree. Removing tall branches, in particular, is complicated for old people. There are special pruning shears that make it possible to cut high branches, but this always involves a lot of effort. For this reason, old people are often unable to cut their branches themselves.Due to the high price of electrical or pneumatic versions, mechanical high-pruning shears are often used. Sometimes a detachable saw is included but they cannot be used well by older people due to poor motor skills.My goal is to reduce the effort with an additional module so that older people can use telescopic tree pruners without restrictions.The main type of actuation is a sliding mechanism where a sleeve slides along the telescopic rod. Thich mechanism can be found in the following products:https://www.fiskars.eu/products/gardening/tree-pruners/tree-pruner-bypass-telescopic-up86-1000598https://www.gardena.com/uk/products/tree-shrub-care/branch-pruners/starcut-410-plus/967637601/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Q16D2A/ref=psdc_3480688011_t2_B07V2463H5https://en.hortoshop.com/wolf-garten-pdc-rr400-t-telescopic-tree-cutter-240-400cm/P2600The new design is an improvement for this kind of telescopic tree pruners.After extensive considerations, it became clear that the actuation mechanism is the best starting point for improvements. Different approaches were then considered and evaluated. The design that won is a crank with a gear stage for power amplification.Because this add-on module should be an easy-to-manufacture kit, 3D printing is ideal. With this manufacturing process, it can be manufactured without great effort if required.The shafts are made from aluminium to reduce the friction between them and the plastic parts. Due to the 3D printing, it is possible to stiffen the housing where it is needed. In addition, the covers can be constructed with great freedom of design that is only possible with 3D printing.More detailed information about the design is in the attached pictures.I’m studying mechanical engineering at the Munich University of Applied Sciences in a master’s program.