Angel Sanchez Llamas
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In progress

Automatic Sheet Music Page Turner

A hands-free page turner driven by a single motor. A bevel gear train couples a rotating wheel that lifts the page to a sweeping arm that turns it.

Course
E29 Manufacturing & Design
Focus
Gear train, shaft design
Timeline
Nov 2026 – present
Photo / render: page turner assembly
1
Motor drives both page lift and page sweep
90°
Bevel gears carry rotation between perpendicular shafts
1 N·m
Shaft torque used for FEA, checked against a 3D-printed prototype

The problem

Musicians lose time and rhythm turning pages mid-piece. A turner has to do two things in order: separate a single page from the stack, then sweep it across. It has to do both reliably without tearing the paper.

Design decisions

One motor and a bevel gear train instead of two motors

Question
How do I coordinate page lifting and page sweeping with as few actuators as possible?
Method
A bevel gear train transmits rotation between perpendicular shafts. I evaluated gear ratios and engagement timing so the lift happens before the sweep.
Why
One motor means less cost, weight, and control complexity, and the timing is fixed mechanically instead of in software.

Reduce shaft diameter based on FOS

Question
Is the shaft oversized?
Method
FEA on the shaft under 1 N·m torque, compared with the strength of a physical 3D-printed prototype.
Outcome
Both showed excess factor of safety, so I reduced the shaft diameter to save material.

Analysis

FEA: shaft at 1 N·m
Shaft stress under 1 N·m torque.
CAD: bevel gear train
Bevel gear train between perpendicular shafts.

Build & test

Photo: 3D-printed prototype
3D-printed prototype used to check the FEA.
Video / GIF: page turn
A page turn.

What's next