TEMPLATE PROJECT REPORT

Introduction
Use the introduction section to provide some background information about the device or
product you are designing and how is related to the solution of the stated need. This
introductory information should come from your literature search – Library, Internet, trade
magazines, etc.

All sources that are not your own ideas must be referenced. For your reports, please
use the parenthetical references: author-date system (Ogot and Kremer, 2004, pg.71).

Initial Problem Statement

Provide a brief paragraph describing your initial problem statement. This should come from
the problem statement that you were issued.

2. Customer Needs Assessment

This section will describe the manner in which customer needs where gathered. It should
include several tables and figures. The minimum include:

Object Attributes
1 A table listing total initial list of customer needs obtained from the focus groups (your
team and international partners if applicable) and interviews (what you got from the
course, the instructor, and anyone else outside your group) (refer to Table 1). Note that
all table captions are placed on top of the tables.

Table 1. Initial Attributes List Obtained from Focus Group and Individual
Interviews

Low cost
High efficiency
High reliability
Good performance
Safe
Little heat produced
 Minimal cost for customers
Low maintenance cost
Light weight
High torque transmission
Weather proof
Guard protection while in operation
Low cost of part replacements
Long running capacity
Low noise

2 Order the objective list into sets of common main goals as shown in Table 2. A table
listing the hierarchal objective list, that has been augmented with constraints and
functions (refer to Table 2). Note that the constraints and functions are formatted
differently for easy identification.

2.2 Weighting of Attributes

To create a weighted hierarchal customer needs list, please use AHP. This section should
begin with a brief introduction, on importance of weighting, and then provide AHP tables
that should how the weights were calculated (refer to Table 3 and 4).

This section concludes with the final weighted hierarchal customer needs list as shown in
Table 5.

Table 2. Hierarchal Attributes List Obtained from Focus Group and Individual
Interviews
1. Performance
1.1 High efficiency
1.2 High reliability
1.3 Light weight
1.4 High torque transmission
1.5 Weather proof
1.6 Long running capacity

2. Inexpensive
 2.1 Minimal cost to customers
2.2 Low maintenance cost
2.3 Low cost of part replacements

3. Safety
3.1 Guard protection while in operation
3.2 Little heat produced
3.3 Low noise

Table 3. AHP Pairwise Comparison Chart to Determine Weighting for Main

Objective Categories

Performance Inexpensive Safety Total Weighting

Performance 1.00 2.00 2.00 5.00 0.48
Inexpensive 0.50 1.00 0.50 2.00 0.19
Safety 0.50 2.00 1.00 3.50 0.33
10.50 1.00

Figure 4. AHP Pairwise Comparison Chart to Determine Weighting of User

Friendly Sub-Objectives

Absolute Relative
Performance (0.48) Total Weight Weight
Performance 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
1.1 1.00 0.50 3.00 1.00 3.00 2.00 5.04 0.11 0.22
1.2 2.00 1.00 2.00 2.00 3.00 3.00 6.24 0.13 0.27
1.3 0.33 0.50 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 3.76 0.08 0.16
1.4 1.00 0.50 0.50 1.00 3.00 2.00 3.84 0.08 0.17
1.5 0.33 0.33 0.50 0.33 1.00 0.33 1.36 0.03 0.06
1.6 0.50 0.33 0.50 0.50 3.00 1.00 2.80 0.06 0.12
23.04 0.48 1.00

Absolute Relative
Inexpensive (0.19) Total Weight Weight
Inexpensive 2.1 2.2 2.3
 2.1 1.00 5.00 3.00 9.00 0.12 0.64
2.2 0.20 1.00 2.00 3.20 0.04 0.23
2.3 0.33 0.50 1.00 1.83 0.02 0.13
14.03 0.19 1.00

Absolute Relative
Safety Safety (0.33) Total Weight Weight
3.1 1.00 5.00 3.00 9.00 0.20 0.61
3.2 0.20 1.00 3.00 4.20 0.09 0.28
3.3 0.33 0.33 1.00 1.67 0.04 0.11
14.87 0.33 1.00

Table 5. Weighted Hierarchal Customer Needs List Obtained from Focus Group
and Individual Interviews
Objectives Absolute Relative
Weight Weight
1. Performance 0.48 0.48
1.1 High Efficiency 0.11 0.22
1.2 High reliability 0.13 0.27
1.3 Light weight 0.08 0.16
1.4 High torque transmission 0.08 0.17
1.5 Weather proof 0.03 0.06
1.6 Long running capacity 0.06 0.12
2. Inexpensive 0.19 0.19
2.1 Minimal cost to customers 0.12 0.64
2.2 Low maintenance cost 0.04 0.23
2.3 Low cost of part replacements 0.02 0.13
3. Safety 0.33 0.33
3.1 Guard protection while in operation 0.20 0.61
3.2 Little heat produced 0.09 0.28
3.3 Low noise 0.04 0.11
Generate the objective tree diagram:
 Figure 1. Objective tree for the Go-Cart Transmission (use the title of the device)

3. Functional Structure

In this section you will describe the functions and functional specifications of your product.
These functional specifications tell us what the designed object must do to realize the stated
objectives.

Use reverse engineering to better understand the functions of the object that you want to
redesign. Reverse engineering means taking the artifact or device that does some or all of
what we want our design to do and dissecting or disassembling it to find out, in great detail,
just how it functions or work.

To identify functions and establish function functional structures follow the following
steps:
a. Express the overall function for the design in terms of conversion of inputs and
outputs.
b. Break down the overall function into set of essential subfunctions (See Table 6)
c. Draw a block diagram showing the interactions between subfunctions (See Fig. 2)
d. Draw the system boundary (See Fig. 2)
e. Search for appropriate components for performing each subfunction and its
interactions.

Table 6. Essential function and subfunctions for the washing machine

 Essential function: Clean Clothes

Essential Subfunctions Means of Achieving Subfunctions

Loosen dirt Add water and detergent

Separate dirt from clothes Agitate
Remove dirt Rinse
Remove water Spin

Figure 2. Function analysis of washing machine

4. Revised Problem Statement

Using the initial problem statement as a starting point, combined with the knowledge
gathered from the customer needs, the design puts together a revised problem statement
provides a more concise description of the design problem.

5. Concept Generation And Selection

5.1 External Search

This section should include information gathered from numerous sources about the team’s
specific toothbrush. These sources could include, the store, library, Internet, magazines and
patents.

You should also perform a patent search to determine the key technologies used in electric
toothbrushes. Focus on utility patents (looking at function) and not cosmetic patents
(focusing on artistic design). Visit http://www.uspto.gov and search for patents related to
the product you are redesigning. Summarize your findings in a Patent-function matrix as
shown in Table 4 (You should have at least two functions at least four patents).

Table 7. Patent-function matrix for electric toothbrush

Function US Patent Description

4,710,995 One gear is provided for sliding movement and one gear is
Head motion provided for oscillatory movement. Thus, both movements can be
dimensioned independently of each other
4,989,287 A connecting rod is fixed non-rotatably in the brush member. The
brush member is connected rotatably about its longitudinal axis
relative to the handle. The gear in the handle produces both the
oscillatory movement and the sliding movement
Etc….

In this section you might include a benchmarking comparison of similar products or sub-
systems with the one you are designing.

5.2 Internal Search

For each of the functions that the design team has chosen to tackle (based on revised
problem statement) provide figures for each of the developed concepts. In the body of this
section explain the concept. The figures should be neat scanned in sketches.

I will need to see clear evidence of concepts generated by regular brainstorming,

SCAMPER, the eight-dimensional methodology, morphological charts, etc…. At least
three and different concepts must be developed for further analysis. Include tables and
figures as needed.

This section must include a list of alternatives solution describing the main characteristics
for each one.

5.2 Concept Selection

Discuss and provide the weighted Pugh Chart or Weighted Rating chart that were used to
decide which combination of concepts from the morphological chart best met the design
teams customer needs. At least three different alternatives must be included in the decision
matrix. The rational for the selection criteria must be clearly explained. This design concept
becomes the final design that is developed further. This section should also include
pictures of the different paper and cardboard models that were investigated and the
conclusions reached as a result.

Figure 3. Decision Matrix for the Go-Cart Transmission (use the title of the device)

All work to this point defines what is expected in

the project progress report

5. Final Design
Discuss details of the final design. This should be well illustrated with multiple 3-
Dimensional models created in Solidworks. You have to create drawings of the components
of your device and assemble them together. Show your assembly and two principal views
in a drawing similar to that shown in Figure 4. You have to create also the drawings views
of the components, and an exploded view of your assembly with the bill of materials.

Figure 3. Assembly view of the device with the Bill of Materials.

It should also have a section discussing materials and material selection for the final design
and for the prototype (the prototype will be built from a different material). In addition,
working drawings of all parts to be manufactured in the shop should be included in
Appendix A. These are the drawings you will take with you into the shop to build your
model.

The section should conclude with a picture of the final working prototype and a discussion
of how well (or not) it worked.

6. Conclusions

Add a few concluding thoughts that summarize your project, tying the end product back to
your customer needs.

References (Times New Roman, 16, Bold)

Note: That for the author-date system, references are listed in alphabetical order.
Muriru, P.K. and Daewoo, R., “Prediction of the Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Multi-
Flame Injector'”, Combustion and Flame, vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 123-135, 2002.
Peters, L., Johnson, M., and Davidson, K., “A Novel Approach to Four-Bar Synthesis'”,
10th
ASME Design Automation Conference, pp. 234-250, Pittsburgh, PA, 2001.
Swanson Inc., “Online Users Manual for ANSYS 5.0'', http://www.ansys.com/ manual,
viewed
on March 1999.
Wen-Cheng, C., “Electric Bicycle'”, US Patent no. 5,368,122, November 29, 1994.
Zacharia, M. and Daudi, P.K., The Effect of Multi-materials on Conventional Finite
Element
Formulations, New York: Wiley and Sons, 2001.
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APPENDIX A: WORKING DRAWINGS