Official Assignment Description: none
Ever since I started climbing I have been fascinated with the mechanics of spring-loaded camming devices (aka 'Cams'). These are devices which are used by rock climbers to provide protection in the event of a fall. The climber typically carries an assortment of cams during a climb, and places them periodically in the rock. The climber runs his or her climbing rope through a carabiner attached to the cam. If a fall occurs, the cam will remain in the rock (via expansion of the spring-loaded camming lobes) and arrest the climber. These cams usually cost between $50 and $120 and are quite difficult to make using manual machining process. But the waterjet makes it much easier! For the sake of brevity I will not describe the step-by-step design and fab process, but feel free to send me an email if you'd like more info.