An Aesthetic Production of Lug, Strainer, and Butt Plate Hardware Components for Snare Drums

Overview

HHG Drums is a drum company that focuses on the creation of high end, custom drums paying close attention to even the smallest of details. HHG currently uses an off the shelf solution for their hardware including the lug, the strainer, and the butt plate of the drum. The group was tasked with designing these pieces of hardware in a way that would build brand recognition so customers would be able to identify the specific drums as part of the HHG Drum family.

Objectives

The team developed unique, aesthetically pleasing, and well-functioning designs for the lug, strainer, and butt plate components of a drum. SolidWorks models of each part were created, along with manufacturing details, and shop drawings for each. A list of possible manufacturers to create the parts were obtained per the sponsor’s specifications.

Approach

– Market research was done for competitor companies to identity common hardware designs

– An extensive patent search was done to ensure no legal issues

– Customer needs and constraints were used to determine specifications

– Preliminary designs for each component were generated with the help of morphological charts

– Feedback from sponsor on original ideas was obtained and designs were adjusted

– An analytical hierarchy matrix and Pugh scoring chart were used to narrow down design ideas

– Secondary designs were created and expanded upon with sponsor feedback

– Final CAD models of each part were created and approved by the sponsor

– FEA on the CAD models was done to ensure structural integrity

– Aesthetic testing was done by constant reviewal and approval through the sponsor and colleagues

– Manufacturing and test plans were developed for each of the parts

– Prototypes were created using 3D printing to evaluate the aesthetic and mechanical integrity of the strainer design

Outcomes

– New and unique custom designs were created for HHG Drums to utilize to distinguish their brand

– Aesthetically appealing components were designed to compliment HHG’s Drums

– HHG Drums will no longer have to rely on obtaining off-the-shelf generic hardware components, resulting in a cost effective solution