Production-Ready Tray Mechanism Design -- 2

Please read carefully: this project is strictly mechanical mechanism design.

I’m refining a small tabletop automation machine and now need the core motion hardware engineered for production. The assignment is purely mechanical: design a reliable linear insert/eject system for a tray carrying six glass slides and couple it with a gentle rocking action driven by a single DC motor through a cam-and-crank arrangement. Appearance, electronics, enclosures, 3-D-print hobby builds, steppers or servos—none of that is in scope; every decision should serve robust, repeatable motion.

Inventor is my preferred platform, so please plan to model, assemble, and run kinematic simulations there. My main technical concern is the cam/crank geometry: it must deliver smooth, low-impact oscillation while keeping the slides stable. Belt paths, pivots, bushings, and tolerances should all be specified with production machining in mind.

To keep the project on track I’ll shortlist proposals that spell out, in detail, how you intend to tackle the mechanism, the analysis you’ll perform to prove reliability, and any comparable small-automation work you’ve done before.

Deliverables on approval:
• Complete Inventor assembly with fully-constrained joints
• Motion simulation files demonstrating both linear travel and rocking cycles
• Exploded views and manufacturing drawings suitable for CNC or conventional machining
• Brief design report summarising calculations, assumptions, and maintenance considerations

I’ll supply full dimensional specs, load data, and envelope constraints once we agree on the approach. If you thrive on precision motion design and can show it through a clear, well-structured proposal, I’m eager to collaborate.