2.77: Precision Product Design

Fold-Out Shipping Container — Fall 2025

Designed a self-folding shipping container using a 4-bar linkage mechanism, sized its actuators, and validated the concept with a quarter-scale prototype.

Precision DesignMechanismsCAD

Highlights

Defined functional requirements for a container that folds/unfolds in under 10 minutes while surviving shipping loads and weather
Modeled 4-bar linkage kinematics and loads to compare elevated vs. base-mount, overlap vs. non-overlap actuator layouts
Selected and sized actuators after comparing lifetime, weight, and environmental sealing across hydraulic, electro-hydraulic, and electro-mechanical options
Built and tested a quarter-scale working prototype demonstrating the fold/unfold sequence

CAD overview of the folding container — CAD overview of the container's 4-bar linkage, actuators, and door hinge/seal

Functional requirements table — Functional requirements balancing transit, deployment, and budget constraints

Hand calculations for mechanism loads — Hand calculations for actuator torque and folding loads

Linear actuator and linkage detail — Linear actuator and 4-bar linkage detail

Structural load path sketch — High-level structural load path sketch

Actuator force comparison chart — Actuator force comparison across linkage configurations

Quarter-scale prototype in open state — Quarter-scale prototype, open state

Quarter-scale prototype mid-fold — Quarter-scale prototype, mid-fold