Prototype, Planning, and Construction

Prototypes (CAD Models)

These are the sequential renditions of CAD models we went through to get from
a rough model to a finished product.

Plug Saver 1.0

Consists of a head and a tail. The head
slides over the prongs of a power cord
providing a cushion for any force applied. The
tail is designed to allow you to wrap around a
power cord to keep it right there while not in
use. The tail has a round circular end to allow
the cord to be affixed onto itself when looped
through to keep the device from becoming
loose and falling off of the cord. The notches
on the tail allow the tail to become interlocked with itself to prevent the tail from slipping
out.

Plug Saver 2.0

The holes were adjusted to fit NEMA 2-20 plugs (plugs with one horizontal
prong), and were changed to through holes to prevent dirt and other debris from
collecting and interfering. Grips were added to the sides to make the installation and
removal of the head easier, especially if wearing large work gloves that would hinder
grip. The tail was revamped to better fit over itself since Plug Saver 1.0 would have
been likely to slip off of itself. This was done by changing the circle at the end of the tail
to a rectangle which would better grip the tail and prevent the tail from becoming loose.
Inlays were also added to the tail for aesthetic purposes. The inlays do not add any
additional slides to the mold and will not increase costs excessively. The inlays, in
addition to looking good aesthetically, also reduce material and therefore cost for each
part.

Plug Saver 3.0

In this revision the tail length was added to
make installation easier as more room to move
the device around also made it far easier to
apply the device. Before this change there was
very little play and installing and/or removing
the device would cause the prongs, especially
the grounding pin, to bend which caused the
problem we are trying to solve. We also added
some more support material to the end of the
tail to reduce the likelihood of tearing when
being applied or when dangling from the cord.

Plug Saver 3.1

Here the tail slot width was
decreased to increase the material
the sides of the slot to help prevent
tearing and to make the device more
durable.

on

Plug Saver 4.0

The tail was changed to a consistent width so
the loop was more adjustable as well as the
tail would fit snuggly in the slot and not twist
over itself. The tail length was also increased
additionally after we saw that the head was
unable to easily reach to the end of the prongs
while the tail was attached the the cord. We
also added a small circle in the head end of
the tail slot to reduce the chances of the slot
tearing when the head was fed through the
slot.

Plug Saver 4.1

For Plug Saver 4.1 we increased the size
of the hole for the grounding pin to ease
the installation of the device as well as to
prevent the grounding pin, which is
weaker and more susceptible to bending,
from being bent, broken, or even torn off.
This also allows for a wider variety of
plugs to be protected as some plugs have
large U-shaped grounding pins which wouldnt fit in the old style of hole.

Plug Saver 4.2

The change made between Plug Saver
4.1 and Plug Saver 4.2 is that of the
grounding pin slot. In this model the
grounding pin slot is now matched to that
of a wall outlet which is compatible with
nearly all grounding pin sizes and
shapes. It also has a much larger hole,
which accompanied by fillets, creates a

very easy installation as well as drastically reduces friction on the grounding pin which
significantly reduces the chances of the pin being bent or broken.

Plug Saver 5.0

Draft, or an angle on a face, was added to the head of the device with the intent
of decreasing production cost by reducing the number of slides needed for injection
molding. We have heard from many sources, such as Dan Sammons and Proto-Mold,
that draft is crucial when designing a product to be injected molded as it can reduce the
number of slides needed as well as makes it easier to get the device out of the mold.

Plug Saver 5.1 (Final Design)

In Plug Saver 5.1, the final rendition, the grips were moved from the sides of the
head to the front and back of the head to ease with removal. Before this, the pressing of
the grips would actually pinch the material of the head against the prongs making it
more difficult to remove the device as well as making it more likely that the device will
bend or break the prongs of the plug it is trying to protect. The current placement of the
grips opens up the slots and makes removal of the device easier than before but it is
only easy when someone applies force to the device, otherwise the device is still
secure, this acts similarly to how the safety feature on a pill bottle. The grips were also
changed to allow for a reduced number of slides when injection molding. This was done
by adding fewer grips and making them longer so the edges arent as sharp. A second
perpendicular slot was also added to the head of the device as molding companies
were worried that the pressure of the melted rubber would push over an upright blade if
it was simply a straight blade and didnt have the support that the perpendicular offered.