Sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering Knowledge. Innovation. Leadership.

Fall2015 Jake Benner, Alex Eickenberg, Bill Hendricks, Chaoyue Huang, Thomas Knuckey, Sebastian Paradise

Maize Grinder - The WINgineers

Sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering Knowledge. Innovation. Leadership.

Mechanical Engineering 270 Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design, Section C, Team 2

Problem Statement: The people of Zambia have inefficient means of processing grains, seasonings among other ingredients. The people of this country spend a lot of time and energy preparing the ingredients which could be beneficial in other parts of their lives. The objective of this project was to make the maize corn process simpler and more efficient for the people of Zambia.

“I need the product to produce the grain size I desire. It also must be light enough to carry around, and be fairly simple to operate. It needs to be inexpensive, yet long lasting. Finally, this product needs to be safe around my children”

From market and customer analysis, the following are the desired specifications:

● Has to weigh less than 25 lbs● Grain size diameter <0.10 in● Cost less than $30

Voice of the Customer

Specifications and Benchmarking

Engineering Model

Morphological Charts

Prototype Design and Fabrication

Prototype Testing

Profitability Analysis

Final Design Concept● Changes made to the

grinding cylinder and handle to better withstand torsional forces

Top Funnel Bottom Funnel

Applying Force with Handle

Grinding Cylinder and Plate

Grinder Chamber Assembly Drawing

● Handle length varies to optimize torque

● Product can be “flipped” to grind in both directions

● Grinding distance varies to reach desired grain size