Ahilan Nayani
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Case study

Semi-Automatic Produce Slicer

A team-designed slicer that uses a cam-follower mechanism to turn manual rotary input into a reciprocating cutting stroke. I designed the housing and the pusher.

Role
Housing and pusher design (team project)
Affiliation
ME 1700, Fall 2025, team of four
Tools
SolidWorks
Status
Status: Designed in CAD

Problem and constraints

The slicer cuts soft vegetables such as cucumbers and zucchini. A cam-follower system, driven by a manually rotated rod, converts that rotary input into linear reciprocating motion. The mechanism automates the cutting stroke, while the user feeds by hand with a pusher, which the design uses for user safety.

The brief was open ended: the only requirement was to build a mechanism that uses a cam. It set no numeric specifications.

Approach

My parts were the housing and the pusher. The cam, the base supports, and the remaining parts were my teammates’ work.

SolidWorks render of the slicer assembly on a light background. A blue pusher with a flared, textured head and a long cylindrical shaft runs into an orange cylindrical housing. The housing is held at an angle between two tapered lavender supports, above a green box-shaped part. A small magenta disc and a thin teal plate near the lower end of the housing are also visible.
FIG. 1Team assembly, front view. My parts: the housing (orange) and the pusher (blue). All other parts are teammates' work.
Rear view render of the same slicer assembly. The blue pusher head and the end of the orange housing are at the top, with a teal plate with a row of rounded cutouts behind the housing. Below them is an open green trough holding a red rounded plate, a magenta disc on a thin green rod, and a small yellow block, all between the two tapered lavender supports.
FIG. 2Team assembly, rear view. My parts: the housing (orange) and the pusher (blue). All other parts are teammates' work.

Housing

The housing is the central cylinder of the slicer and the main fixture for the slicing mechanism. I designed it with hexagonal mounting interfaces, slotted clearances for the blade path, and an adjustable spacer system at the intake to control cut thickness.

SolidWorks render of the grey cylindrical housing on its own, on a light background. One end has a bore. The side wall has a hexagonal pocket, a slot cut through the wall near the bored end, and a row of four small parallel grooves.
FIG. 3Housing, my part. Visible features: a bore at one end, a hexagonal pocket in the side wall, a slot through the wall near the bored end, and a row of small grooves.

Pusher

I also designed the pusher, the part the user operates for the manual feed.

Result

The slicer exists only as CAD. It was not physically built. The native SolidWorks files are lost, and the three renders on this page are the only remaining record, so there is no 3D model or downloadable CAD for this project.

What I’d do differently

I would make the slicer bigger and stronger so it could handle more types of fruits and vegetables. I would also simplify the overall design compared with what we built.