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Electronics Enclosure Project: Designing a shell for various electronics attachments
This was a part of Design Studio V(Integrated Design) and the goal of the Electronics Enclosure Project was to design a shell that contained electronics that was able to be stacked and used in tandem with others layers for Maryland Music Technology. Our client had a specific design request of having four USB type A ports and USB type B ports as a part of the base module. However, the client was open about the functionality of the other layers and the profile of the each module.
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Skills Learned:
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Injection molding design requirements
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SolidWorks drafting for injection molding
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Aluminum extrusion design requirements
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Lifestyle board creation
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Working with real client
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Stack-up tolerance analysis
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G-code creation for CAM
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Cost estimate
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DOE for manufacturing
Details:
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Aesthetic of Target Community
The target audience of our device is a young-adult tech-enthusiast in an urban location. We targeted someone who is interested in carrying digital files in an unique way. We had occupations like EDM concert DJ, small-scale music producer, game streamer, tech-companies. All of these occupations work with electronics and technologies heavily, likes to have organization, and wants something that is easily transportable.
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Major Objective of the Project
The Electronics Enclosure Project allowed me to gain additional knowledge in DFM for plastic injection molding, as well as working with a lifestyle board to guide our design. Main objective of the project was to work with a client, learn DFM for aluminum extrusion, perform stack-up tolerance analysis on our design, and DOE for manufacturing.
Our Solution:
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We focused on keeping our basic profile shape as simple as possible while creating a complex locking mechanism for connecting separate layers or modules. Plastic and the aluminum pieces connects with a finger joint style tabs to mimic poker chip-like look to appeal to the young-adult, risk-seeking, and opportunistic individuals. This also serves as the secure locking mechanism that resists the rotational motion of locking. The locking mechanism itself is designed with a snap fit to provide a haptic feedback to the user. The aluminum piece has a brushed finish to align with the modern look. In addition, each layer can have different colors of plastic to match the user's individual taste.
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Base module consists of four type A USB ports, one type B USB port, Coaxial power port, and a push button switch. Layer 2 has a theme of taking in various digital files. There are SD card port for digital pictures, HDMI port for Digital videos, and AUX for Digital audio files.
Engineering Details
Lifestyle Board
SolidWorks Images & Design Description
Tolerance Analysis Math Model
Manufacturing Methods
DOE for Manufacturing Cost Math Model
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