Evidence of work
For this project, my small group and I were tasked with choosing a relatively simple everyday object and find out exactly how it works and think of different ways to make it better. We chose to look closer at an electric pencil sharpener. Our original ideas for improvements that we could make to the sharpener were to make it portable and battery powered instead of powered through an outlet, and to make the overall design more compact and practical for a portable sharpener. The first step in making these improvements was taking apart the sharpener and looking at the pieces more in depth. By study how each component worked individually and together as a system, we could then begin to work on how we could improve the device. We first made blueprints of each piece, using precise measurements to get the correct scale to correctly document all of the components. After having our completed blueprint as well as a flow chart for the device, we created a plan to try to redesign our project. We did not however complete re complete redesign of the project.
Below Is a work log of how we got to our final product:
Content
One of the main concepts that we used during our project was the design process. This process consists of:
1. Defining the Problem
2. Generating a Concept
3. Evaluating a Concept
4. Detailing the Design
5. Designing a Defense
6. Manufacturing a Prototype
7. Evaluating Performance
8. Preparing the Final Design Report
This process is used to break down more complicated problems into easier more manageable parts. This maximizes the amount of thinking and information gathering up front and results in fewer costly design changes later in the design process.
Exploded View:
A schematic that shows Relationship and assembly of certain parts separated by a small distance in a three dimensional space.
Manufacturing Process:
Steps that are taken through which raw materials are produced into a final product.
1. Defining the Problem
2. Generating a Concept
3. Evaluating a Concept
4. Detailing the Design
5. Designing a Defense
6. Manufacturing a Prototype
7. Evaluating Performance
8. Preparing the Final Design Report
This process is used to break down more complicated problems into easier more manageable parts. This maximizes the amount of thinking and information gathering up front and results in fewer costly design changes later in the design process.
Exploded View:
A schematic that shows Relationship and assembly of certain parts separated by a small distance in a three dimensional space.
Manufacturing Process:
Steps that are taken through which raw materials are produced into a final product.
Reflection
During this project I gained and improved upon many practical skills. By looking further into each step involved in the design process of a seemingly simple device, I better understood the complexity of the objects around us and what it takes to perfect things that we use on an everyday basis. In the early stages of the project, disassembling and reassembling the device posed some problems. Even though the device is a relatively simple one, as you go further into its functions there are more and more components to keep track of and remember the connections and functions of. During a reassembly process, some components were misplaced causing some issues. By looking at previously completed blueprints however, this problem was quickly rectified. This demonstrated to me the importance of keeping track of all of the components of a project even in the early stages because parts can be lost easily and it is better to know where everything goes so nothing needs to be replaced. During the project, I feel that i improved on organization and my understanding of the importance of research. Organizing the functions of the device helped make the process much easier to follow and researching different parts of the device helped me understand the importance of each part to the function of the machine as a whole.
There are some aspects of my work that i could improve and were noticeable during this project. Time management was a struggle for me as I found myself spending too much time on less important parts of the project rather than correcting details to important parts of the project. By focusing on getting all necessary tasks completed before focusing on the fine details of tasks, I can make more time for myself and the group to complete the project more thoroughly. Another area that needs improvement is my focus on keeping track of how the group as a whole is spending time on the project. By dividing and conquering all of the tasks that need to be completed, we can complete them sooner and have more time to work on more important parts of the project.
There are some aspects of my work that i could improve and were noticeable during this project. Time management was a struggle for me as I found myself spending too much time on less important parts of the project rather than correcting details to important parts of the project. By focusing on getting all necessary tasks completed before focusing on the fine details of tasks, I can make more time for myself and the group to complete the project more thoroughly. Another area that needs improvement is my focus on keeping track of how the group as a whole is spending time on the project. By dividing and conquering all of the tasks that need to be completed, we can complete them sooner and have more time to work on more important parts of the project.