Timeline of Project: October 7th, 2024 - December 4th, 2024

Project Narrative

Mon-17’s final CAD design - The rotary actuator was used to rotate the bucket after the bucket catches the luggage using gears to increase torque. After the bucket is spun to the other side the luggage gently slides down onto the other platform.

Our team was assigned to designing a mechanism that would move luggage from the higher platform to the lower using 3D modelling and coding.

Our Problem Statement: “Create a system for checking in passenger luggage based on their ticket while transferring their luggage from a conveyer belt to the airplane that is energy efficient, cost effective, and timely.”

Functions	Objectives	Constraints
• Scan and recognize different ticket types (layover, economy, business)
• Bring luggage onto conveyor belt
• Input: Luggage from platform A
• Output: Luggage from platform B
• Transport luggage from platform A to B	• Efficient timing (doesn’t take too long)
• Structure should be sturdy
• Materials should be cost-efficient
• Organized (different ticket types-layover, economy/business class-are separated)	• Can’t go past the restriction line
• Materials (physical scanner, 3D printer, actuator, Q-Arm)
• Time limit (4 weeks)
• Can only use either a rotary or linear actuator (not both)

Team Contributions

Early model of the design our group continued with

Early actuator code

Exploded view of our model

Discarded early model of the Rotary Actuator Support

Discussed each individuals concept sketches
Reviewed pros and cons of each idea to help choose the design to continue with
Thoroughly enhanced the model to ensure success
Printed then reprinted parts after modifications
Created Exploded View of final product
Created flowchart for group code
Assisted in refining one another’s individual and group code
Quickly solved issues with Q-Arm code
Tested the mechanism

Individual Contributions

Set up meetings outside of Design studio as the Project Coordinator
Tracked and logged all Design studios and extra meetings
Completed the Layover function
Finalized and edited other functions where needed
Completed the Engineering Drawings for the Rotary Actuator Support and Bucket Support
Wrote my part of the Design Report

Some of the Design studio logs

Engineering Drawing of the Rotary Actuator Support

Some of the extra meeting logs

Layover function

Experiences and Challenges

One of the most valuable lessons I learned from this project was the importance of efficiently working as a team. We initially underestimated our time for the project which left us with no room for testing and adjustments. The process of finalizing the CAD took up too much time, we could have avoided this by having more group meetings and beginning the printing process earlier. How can we better estimate time for future projects? These experiences also highlighted the need to be open to modifications when the initial plan leaves room for improvement.

Skills

Throughout the course, I was able to implement many of the skills I have learned onto the project which further built my confidence of the skill. Such as the use of Autodesk Inventor I learned from Lab B I was able to use to CAD my project idea and the use of coding from Lab A used in my individual function. The skill of 3D printing is another trait I learned working on the project which is crucial in the Engineering industry.

Changes

Given the chance, I would put more time into planning and testing phases to reduce delays that would arise from unexpected errors. How can we plan better to allow for more thorough testing and adjustments before finalizing our design? Another more specific change to the project would be to change the weight of the bucket to make it easier for the Actuator to rotate the bucket, this would be done by thinning out the walls of the bucket either by remodelling it or sanding it. This reduction would also increase the amount of material saved in our mechanism.