Overview of Status of Analysis, Design, Fabrication, Tests, etc.
Awaiting delivery of Injection machine, pending location to store the machine or a decision to split the machine up
Redefined the problem by identifying a key area for each member
3D model of the system is currently being designed on Autodesk Fusion 360
Accomplishments from Previous Week
Reconnected with sponsors and Professor Delson to redefine the problem with the new Coronavirus constraints
Brian connected with Ryan on the 3D printed mold and mold cage ideas
Created a collaborative Autodesk Fusion 360 folder to store all of the CAD files
Kaleb and James connected with Andrew and Mark to talk through different sensor implementations
Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.
Ideate on the problem spaces we defined with the sponsor from last week
3D Printed Molds and Mold Cage (Brian): Look into mold-nozzle quick release systems like a tripod, slider etc. Also look into mold cage designs.
Nozzle (James): Create a 3D CAD of the system (in collaboration with Katherine) in Fusion 360, then export to ANSYS to create a 'digital twin'
Injection Effort (Katherine): Explore solutions to reduce the pull down effort of the lever arm, potentially with a linear actuator
PID Control and Measurements (Kaleb): Look into types of temperature and pressure sensors to gauge characteristics of plastic
Conduct research on the industrial injection molding process to see if any of those things can be adapter to our small scale machine
Explore methods to shutoff flow of plastic after mold is filled (Brian)
Exploring quarter turn ball valves for pipes, since the nozzle right now is essentially a pipe
Complete problem redefinition presentation
Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
Notes from Meeting on 4/1
Machining and prototyping are restricted to 3D printing and some basic metal machining
Andrew might be able to provide more funding to smooth out the kinks of remote work
Mark can ship out the barrel and nozzle to James
Andrew mentioned that there might be differences in the plastic's uniformity, heat constants etc, but Mark mentioned that in reality those aren't necessarily that big of a deal
Industrial injection molding technology could be adapter to our machine too
Explore linear actuators as a method
Notes from Meeting on 4/3 with Ryan
Join the Precious Plastics Discord channel as a resource
There are lots of improvements we can make to this, but we should focus on the low hanging fruit, easy 10x improvement stuff
Seems like Brian is on the right track as far as research on 3D printed molds and the mold cage are concerned
Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
Take the current configuration, measure the baseline performance, and match it to the analysis
3D model is currently being designed on Fusion 360 to be analyzed thermally in ANSYS
Some method of vibrating the plastic to agitate it and heat up quicker
Currently discussing with sponsors if this is a viable solution
Sparked conversation about how there could be revolutionary, 10x improvements in the machine instead of smaller ones
Comments from Other Students in the Class (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)
N/A
Risks and Areas of Concern
Delivery of Injection machine further delayed
Resources or Information Required but not Available
N/A
Schedule
Problem Redefinition Presentation (4/8/20)
Weekly Progress Report (4/7/20)
Weekly Meeting with Sponsors (4/8/20)
Weekly Internal Team Meetings (3 times a week)
Budget (list amount spent and amount remaining)
Total Budget: $2600
Amount Spent: $120
Budget Remaining: $2480
Progress on Report and Webpage
Week 2 Updated
Problem Redefinition updated