Gyroscope Imported Into Solidworks

Question: Woah! Is that balancing on your finger? What is that thing?

Kelly: This is a gyroscope.

Question: What's a gyroscope?

Kelly: A gyroscope is an object that spins on its axis in high speed, like a top. Once the axis is spinning it will become more stable and resist a change in orientation.  If you apply a force, on the axis, the gyro will change the force to a right angle.

Question: Can you demonstrate this?

Kelly: Sure. First thing you have to do is wind up the gyro with a piece of string. Then hold the gyro by the outside frame and pull the string with the other hand. As the gyro is spinning on the string, it will resist gravity.


Question: Who uses a gyroscope??

Kelly: A gyroscope is used by designers, and engineers too!  They basically indicate orientation, to help calibrate a sense of direction.   You can find them in aircraft, cars, and even in smartphones!

Question: So what are you going to do with it??



Kelly: I am going to measure it and make a "real life object" in Solidworks.  Mr.G my teacher, asked us to pick an object that had less than 5 parts and at least one moving part.   I chose this object for my assignment.

Question: Cool... What's Solidworks??



Kelly: Solidworks is a solid modeling design software that is used by over 2 million engineers and designers.

Question: Woah that's so cool! What else can you make on Solidworks??



Kelly: Well you can make just about anything on Solidworks. That's what makes it so cool and fun to use. For example, if you want to make lets say a pencil, you would first pick a plane to start making the pencil. I would choose the front plane. You then sketch a circle. Next you would click on the extrude feature and the circle would then turn into a long cylinder! Everything you make on Solidworks is always based on measurements, shapes, and features. You can make surfaces, edges, and points look any way you want.

Question: Is Solidworks a hard program to use??

Kelly: Yes and no. At first, it's not gonna come easy. Solidworks takes time to understand how and when to use. As you work on making objects with different shapes and forms, you'll learn that each feature has its own purpose. For instance, if you click on "Extrude Cut" the cylinder will be cut and decrease its size depending on how much you want to cut. But if you click on "Fillet", the edges will curve. It takes time. But if you really have a big interest on how Solidworks works, then you'll get the gist of it.

Question: Why did you choose a gyroscope??

Kelly: I chose a gyroscope because I found it pretty cool! I remember buying it at the Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C.  I found it interesting that it was a tool that scientists and technologist use on a regular basis.


Question: What was the first thing you did to make your model??



Kelly: Well, first I had to sketch out the drawing of the gyroscope from different angles.  Then I took the measurements of the gyroscope.

Question: Why did you sketch it out first??



Kelly: I sketched it out first so I can be organized and make the gyroscope look almost the same way it is as the real one.

Question: What did you measure the gyroscope with??



Kelly: I measured the gyroscope with a caliper which measures in intervals as small as one-thousandth of an inch!

Question: Which part of the gyroscope did you start working on first??

Kelly: The first thing I started working on was the frame along with the Gimbal.

Question: Was there any difficulties in the process of making the gyroscope??

Kelly: Of course there was! Since this was my first time making a real life object, it didn't come easy at first.. But you always have to do your best to fix it. My first trouble was with the wheel part of the gyroscope.

Question: In the end, did the gyroscope come out the way you wanted it to??

Kelly: It did. It won't always be exactly the same thing. When I put the pieces together the ending result was just amazing.

Question: Do you plan on pursuing a career in Engineering?

Kelly: Since I was little, I've had a knack for taking things apart and then putting them back together. I realized when I was a bit older to understand that I wanted to become an engineer. I am now looking for college scholarships and recommendations. Feel free to email me on any information 

Kacoca07@gmail.com