Student Spotlight Article
Student Spotlight Article
evaluations.
stress tests.
I put 1 lb of pressure on each of the holes on the aperture where the set screws sit. The red area shows failure so no more than 1 lb of pressure can be applied to the set screws into the holes. This force is considered to only be in the horizontal plane and not in the rotational force.
The program available to me does not register the threads on the screws or in the holes so I was unable to test the pressure you are able to apply to the screws rationally before the tool would fail. This would be applicable to the upper tube as well as the aperture. Since the set screws are steel and the body is ABS plastic though, not much force should be applied to the screws to insure that the tool will not break under the force.
A major part of my project was making sure the final design was functional and everything fit together perfectly. To make sure that the alignment tool was made to be the most functional version and easy to use I made sure to take time to keep in contact with the biomedical department and send them my designs before making each physical prototype. After finalizing each version, I made a physical copy to take to them to test, evaluate, and give me feedback on the things I would need to adjust to make the project better. Each prototype had several changes I discovered after testing and putting to use the previous model.
For each individual prototype, I did stress and material testing. These tests helped me indicate whether the design would be effective and what needed to be changed for the next design. Being able to test all of my designs digitally before printing them was incredibly helpful to the design process and help save materials. By finding out about the failures and that each prototype kept me from printing each design when the things that I needed to change to make it more effective could be seen in the computer simulations.
For my final prototype, I had several people evaluate my project with a criteria sheet I made. I was then able to get specific feedback on the aspects that were most important to the overall function of the tool. The criteria chart included all of the pieces of the project that were most important and those that were a key aspect of the design of the project and portfolio as a whole. Attached below are the criteria sheets I received from those who reviewed my project.
