The Screwdriver

The screwdriver was one of two projects for the second half of the semester, It consisted of using multiple processes on a lathe to form the screwdriver followed by forging the tip on a dropforge and heat-treating the screwdriver.

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So what did I take away from this project and what tips would I leave for future classes?

What I took from this project was thinking about how the process to make an item affects how long it takes to make the item, as well as how spending the time where you can't work with the project can be spent.

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How long did this project take and what was the estimated cost?

Currently, the going rate for a skilled machinist in Colorado makes about $20.42 an hour. I would say that this project took me anywhere from 5 to 6 hours in the lab to complete, so labor alone would cost somewhere between $102.1 to $122.52 The aluminum cost about $24 dollars a foot so you get 2 screwdrivers out of each bar. The Tool steel cost $11.10 for 3ft of it. each screwdriver is about 5.5" which gives you a little over 6 screwdrivers per purchase. this gives a final price of around $136.37.

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How would I modernize this project to make 10000 Screwdrivers?

So, to modernize this I would say that you could cast the screwdriver core from the tool steel and then create a handle by using injection molding with cellulose acetate or simply cast the entire screwdriver and forgo knurling in favor of turning on a CNC Lathe.

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What's the price difference?

To make 10,000 screwdrivers by hand gives out a price of $1,363,700. On the other hand by casting the entire thing in batches the time to produce one is reduced and you take about half the time reducing the price to around $681,850.