Developmental Work in progress

This week I have been hard at work on AutoCAD, a 3D rendering program. I am designing the final solution as well as providing orthographic views. I am also working on creating a Plan of Procedures on how to make this project, going step by step on how to create it.

Formal Progress Update preparation

This whole week I will be spending time working on my presentation for the Formal Progress Update. I also need to be working on my developmental work which will aid in my presentation for the FPU.

Model has been built!

Today I completed my model. In this model, the areas for both the mechanical and hydraulical components are depicted, as well as the container for the sugar ice and lemonade. By the end of the week, a full report with pictures fully describing the model will be posted on the blog. Be sure to come back for future updates.

Plexi Glass Prices

Today I researched the price range for purchasing a piece of plexi glass. This plexi glass would be placed on the front of the machine in order to allow the operator to observe all the working systems inside the machine. I went to professionalplastics.com and got an estimate for a piece of plexi glass which would be 24"x48". The total price for this piece would be $37.97. We would need to purchase two of these in order to cover the entire front of the machine, that way the machine has the desired result as well as making it more entertaining and safe at the same time. That brings the total cost to $75.94 which I think me and my partner will be able to dish out for this project. Hopefully this will be the only thing we have to purchase for the project. We plan on going to the dump soon this month so we can gather up all our materails and begin the final designs.

Model under reconstruction

Today I presented my model to the instructors for constructive criticizm. They said only the model will not be sufficient enough for the Formal Progress Update. I will need to re-think how I present this model in order to make it sufficient enough.

Model under construction

Today I began to work on the construction of my model. It will be made out of legos and will represent the design chosen in the rationale report.

Discussions With Partner

Today I discussed with my partner arrangements for going to the junkyard in order to gather parts for the systems of our machine.  While at the junkyard we will be looking for things such as tubing, wire, gears, springs and other things of the mechanical and hydraulic sort. Within the next few weeks, we will go to the junkyard and arrange a meeting with the owner so we can go "scavenging" for parts. 

The whole kit and caboodle!

This past week was a long and tedious one. I spent the entire week working on my rationale report. In my rationale report, you can see which solutions were used in the final design matrix. The designs were put against one another and graded to figure out which one would be uesd in the final design. A final decision was reached and the structural solution is now being put into the final designing process.

Rationale Report

Solution 1:

                                  Photo of a possible isometric view of an alternate solution.

Solution 1 is a 4’x4’x2’ box with 7 chambers inside. 3 chambers are utilized for the purpose of housing and regulating the flow of Ice, Sugar, and the squeezed Lemons. These 3 chambers are placed side by side on the ceiling of the box. On either side of these two chambers, there is a Water tank, as well as the Coin collecting sensor and container. The water tank is designed to hold approximately 3-5 gallons of water, and this water is to be used to not only start the machine, but it will also be incorporated into my partner’s hydraulic systems. On the other side is the Coin collecting sensor and the container for the collected coins. My partner has a traditional “gumball quarter accepter” and this will go in front of an electronic counter. As the quarter passes over this sensor, a small display keeps a tally of how many cups of lemonade were purchased. This lets us not only know how many cups were purchased, but also how many times the machine was run, as well as how many quarters we have. Once the quarter is accepted, it turns on a switch which will start the entire process of the machine. In the bottom left corner, a large amount of space is dedicated to the mechanical systems. In the bottom right hand corner there is also a large amount of space which will be dedicated to the hydraulic systems. This doesn’t mean the two different types of systems won’t coincide or overlap, it just means the foundation or the majority of those respective areas begin in that section of the machine. When all is said and done, the cup of lemonade is dispensed into a cutout area where a cup will have been placed. Once the machine is complete, the back opens up and each system is manually reset and it’s ready to run again.

Is this solution useful?
This solution succeeds at completing the job as well as doing what is expected from the user. It is user friendly and carries out a job which is necessary in our daily lives.

Is this solution desirable?
This solution has a good appearance and is intriguing and exciting to watch as all the systems perform their specific jobs. Once they receive the end product, they will have been both amused as well as rejuvenated as they enjoy the cup of lemonade.

Is this solution producible?
As long as all the designs are properly dimensioned, this machine will be able to be easily produced and manufactured on a large scale. It is entirely possible to see this hitting the market and appearing in stores and houses.

Is this solution profitable?
Unfortunately we only have access to a one quarter acceptor. At this rate it will take a long time for the income of the machine to exceed the original purchasing price. If we had access to a two quarter or even a four quarter acceptor, this would speed up the process greatly. In the long run yes this product will be profitable; it just takes a long time.

Solution 2:

                                            Photo of a possible isometric view of an alternate solution.

As designed in the picture, this solution will be a 4’x4’x2’ box. There is a change made, and the box will now be 6’x3’x2’. The reason for the change is so there is more room for systems and has a better appearance in a store. This setup also has 7 chambers inside, but they are rearranged differently to allow more space for the systems. A thin tank which spans the entire top of the machine is used to house the water which will be used in the machine. Centered and directly under that is the 3 chambered area which houses the Ice, Sugar, and squeezed Lemons. Directly to the right of that is the Coin collecting sensor and container. In this design we are trying to conserve space in order to allocate more room for the specific systems. This leaves a lot of space left, which is good. The entire left side of the machine will now be taken up by all the hydraulic components, and the entire right side will now be taken up by all the mechanical components. With more room this means more systems, which means greater appeal to the customer, which means more revenue for the store owner. Between both systems is the area where the cup of lemonade will be dispensed. The rear of the machine will not just be a piece of wood, it will be peg board. This allows us to move the systems around and make the possibilities of how things are arranged endless. It also makes resetting and fixing any problems that much easier.

Is this solution useful?
I believe this solution is quite useful as it completes the job with the most customer satisfaction. It goes above and beyond expectations and fulfills its jobs as best as it can.

Is this solution desirable?
This solution has an outstanding appearance since there is so much room, as well as having more exciting systems built inside. Any store owner in their right mind will want to have one of these in their store.

Is this solution producible?
Since this solution is a little bigger than the first, it will be a bit harder to produce. Since it has the peg board in the back, it will be much easier to set up and keep maintenance.

Is this solution profitable?
Just like the first, since we only have a way of collecting one quarter at a time, it will take a long time to be profitable. Hopefully we will find a two or four quarter acceptor, which will speed up the profiting process.

Criteria:	Concept 1:	Concept 2:	Concept 3:	Concept 4:
Looks Appealing	3	2	4	5
Provides Enough Space	5	3	3	4
Manufacturability	4	4	4	5
Ease of Use	4	4	4	4
Safety	5	5	5	5
Efficiency	3	3	3	4
Total Points:	24	21	23	27

This is a matrix which overlooks all the viable solutions for the projects.  The first two concepts were designed by my partner, and can be found here.  My two solutions are concepts 3 and 4, which can be found above.  When diciding which concept we wanted to utilize, we went through the above criteria; Looks appealing, Provides Enough Space etc... .  Once we evaluated each of the possible solutions, we gave each solution a point value in each of the categories, with a max point value of 5 in each category and 30 overall.  The solution we see best fit is solution 4, which is my last solution.  From here we wish to expand into greater detail as well as finalize exactly what systems will be incorporated into the design.