We were tasked with designing and prototyping a machine that could roll and form the outer shell of a mini-excavator bucket to decrease production time.
Sponsored by: Rockland Manufacturing Company
Team Members
Mary Kate Altmire Andrew Arbanas Zackary Crider Ben Starkman Dengzhe Zhang
Instructor: Chao-Yang Wang
Project Poster
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
Rockland Manufacturing Company specializes in manufacturing high-quality construction equipment attachments that are compatible with most major construction equipment brands. Their goal is to get ahead of their competitors in the steadily growing mini-attachment market. For this project, the team was tasked with redesigning Rockland’s current mini excavator bucket production line to be more efficient. Specifically, the team will focus on forming the back shell.
Objectives
– Design a manufacturable device or process capable of forming a sheet of steel that acts as the back shell of an excavator bucket, specifically at a quarter scale of Rockland’s buckets
– Analyze the forces acting on the design to confirm its ability to genuinely form the steel without damaging the machine
– Construct a quarter-scale model to form the sheet of metal and demonstrate how the design improves the efficiency of the line
Approach
– Visit Rockland’s site in Bedford, PA to gain an understanding of their current manufacturing process
– Research current methods of forming and rolling steel
– Brainstorm several different design possibilities and analyze each to decide the design to move forward with
– Model the final design using SolidWorks
– Perform Finite Element Analysis on the CAD model to determine the force requirements for bending the sheet of metal
– Create a physical prototype from sponsor-provided material as well as outside parts
Outcomes
– From the site visit, the team determined that combining the separate rolling and fitting steps of production is the best way to improve efficiency
– Further research resulted in the team focusing on a scaled-down model due to the limited budget because the machinery for this type of manufacturing is costly
– CAD modeling and analysis using SolidWorks confirmed the device’s functionality. Finite Element Analysis specifically allowed the team to apply a range of forces on the roller to simulate bending the sheet of steel and determine what force and torque are required. Calculations were done by hand to determine how the driving torque translates through the machine to the roller to bend the steel.
– The physical machine successfully demonstrated that the mechanical aspects of the machine are fully functional and capable of forming steel. It also shows how our device intends to decrease production time by allowing fitting and welding to occur on the same dies used for forming the sheet