1 Psurtech Bubble Machine
Engineering Design Document
GENG 1103 Introduction to Engineering Spring 2015
Assignment
Team Design Project
Selected Topic
Bubble Machine
Project Presentation
April 22, 2015 3:00-5:00
Team Members
Alexis Morales
Daniel Lopez
Avelardo Raygoza Villa
Petrie Yang
Tyler Spreen
Instructor
Dr. Alex Stratigakis
2 Psurtech Bubble Machine
Abstract
Members of the team decided to create an automatic bubble machine.
This bubble machine will be designed for the use of entertainment as a toy.
There are certain discussions on the requirements and constraints for the
product. The team’s idea is to design and create a bubble machine for those
who wish to use it as a form of amusement for any purpose. Our goal is to
create a product that is easy to use and is aesthetically appealing to the
consumer, which will mainly be marketed to children and teenagers. The
group came up with five different product designs which were narrowed by
using a design evaluation matrix, and also experimenting with different
aspects of each design.
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Table of Contents
Title Page 1
Abstract 2
Introduction 4
Requirements and Constraints 5
Basic Features 6
Engineering Design Method 7
Assembling Design Team 8
Identifying Constraint and Criteria 9
Search for Solutions 10
Feasibility Study 11
Potential Solutions 11
Preliminary Design 12
Analyzing Solutions 13
Results and Conclusions 15
Appendix A: Design Matrix 16
Appendix B: Cost Structure 17
Appendix C: Project Pictures 20
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Introduction
First of all, our overall objective of this project was to produce a
quality bubble blowing machine at a low cost, and also to create an overall
strong, and portable case. We also objectified creating an organized interior
with easy access to motor and batteries, and creating an effective drainage
system for the excess bubble solution. Our team’s idea should mostly be
aimed towards children since they love playing with bubbles, but it can also
appeal to the teenage community as well.
In response to the market demand for bubble blowing machines we
came up with the Psurtech Bubble Machine, which was meant to address
many of the problems that regular bubble machines suffer. All five of our
team members showed different strengths and weaknesses which coming
together formed a strong group full of ambition, and hope for creating a
product that can hopefully sell in the market. Other than just finishing the
prototype, we aimed towards building a strong communication, and also
physical skills in the mechanical and electric side, which will help us
understand and know how to put a product together from scratch. Hopefully
addressing the issues will enhance the fun, and usability of the product
overall towards kids, and teenagers.
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Requirements and Constraints
Our bubble machine should be easy to assemble, and also easy to wire
up.
Our design should also be completely isolated from the outside world,
and the wires should all be covered up to avoid any electrical issues.
The case of the bubble machine should be strong and sturdy enough to
where if it falls on accident it won’t break or get damaged, this type of
sturdability can be accomplished through using strong materials such
as wood or plastic.
Our measure constraints were that any dimension (x,y,z axis)
Could not exceed 2 feet.
Our team has to make the case with a similar design to the designs
sold to the market because if the case is built with weird dimensions
or shapes than that will scare the market away.
The overall bubble blowing machine should be kept at a minimum
price to ensure that the machine actually sells in the real world stores.
(our team decided to keep the costs under $50)
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Basic Features
The case is made out of utility shelving, and plywood to create the
case where the motor, and the batteries will be concealed and
protected.
We added on top hinged door, which can be closed by the person
whenever the bubble machine is not being used.
We added a drainage system inside the case to avoid any solution
spilling on the batteries.
We added a little door in the front of the case to easily access the
batteries or wires.
The overall case is divided into three compartments, the first one is
where the motor goes, the second includes the drainage system and
the batteries, and the third system is where the excess bubble solution
goes to.
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Engineering Design Method
Identifying the need and defining the problem.
First of all when we were thinking of ideas of the overall project, we
wanted to design something that was more of an innovation to an existing
product. We discussed and concluded that the modern bubble machines that
are sold in stores are too small, and too weak to use as recreational toys on
the large scale. Bubble machines appeal towards little kids which would be
the market audience. Knowing this we needed to come up with a design that
was the least complicated, and could be used by little kids without being
hazardous or dangerous. Although the team wanted to appeal to just kids,
we made up our minds that we should aim at a more general audience to
increase profit. The biggest problem that bubble machines on the market
right now have is that most of them are mostly exposed to the environment
through cutouts in the bases of the design, and we wanted to make a design
that was completely isolated from the environment to ensure that the
battery’s or the motors could not be damaged recklessly.
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Assembling Design Team
When we were first forming teas we had to check what skill set each
one of the members had to bring to the table. The founding members of the
team are Avelardo Raygoza Villa, Daniel Lopez, and Tyler Spreen, and
eventually we added two more team members to the team.
Avelardo Raygoza Villa- Design and Wiring
Daniel Lopez- Wiring and PowerPoint
Tyler Spreen- PowerPoint and Drafting
Petrie Yang- Bubble Solution and Soldering
Alexis Morales- Bubble Solution and PowerPoint
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Identify Constraints and Criteria
Time- This project needed to be completed by April 22, 2015
Aesthetics- Our design should appeal to not only the children
population, but also the adult population.
Performance- Our design must perform at an exceptional level, which
includes blowing bubble machines, and not leaking any bubble
solution while doing so.
Safety- Whenever we turn the switch on their should not be any wires
exposed or even loose to the bubble solution to avoid shocking the
person or avoid short circuiting the battery.
Portability- Our design not only needs to be light enough to be carried
by a child, but also it has to not be too tall.
Availability- The pricing of our project should be kept to a low price
in order to ensure that it sells in the market, but also high enough to
where we make profit out of the project.
Ease of Assembly- If the design hits the assembly line then the
assembly of the project should not take a long time, in order to ensure
that the maximum amount of bubble machines can be made to sell to
big vendors.
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Searching for Solutions
When we first started brainstorming on our design we concluded that
we needed to design a case that could hold the battery and motor inside the
case. The problem of our design was that the solution would spill on the
battery compartment, and it would mess up the wiring, which is a crucial
area in our project. We came up with two main designs, which the only
difference was what material it was made of, one was plastic and the other
was wood. We ultimately chose the wooden design because of money
issues, and also the time it would take to print a big case with a 3D printer.
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Feasibility Study:
When we began brainstorming possible designs for our bubble
machine, we thought of 5 designs. We noticed, however, that two of our
designs would not work because of the material they were made out of
aluminum. The first design would’ve contained an extruded pipeline for the
release of the bubbles. This design however wouldn’t work because the
bubbles wouldn’t be able to travel through the pipeline. In addition to this,
the material, aluminum, would surpass in weight but not in strength. The
motor and wands could be easily damaged from bending or dropping the
machine. The second design wouldn’t have worked either because this
design required excessive wiring for different speeds. This design was to
have a larger motor, an unreasonable amount of batteries and extra space for
more wires. We recognized that this amount of wiring was too much of an
issue to resolve in the allowed time frame.
Potential Solutions:
Wooden case with a vertical stand for motor.
Plastic case with a horizontal stand for motor.
Wooden case with a horizontal stand for motor.
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Preliminary Design:
In order to eliminate our weakest designs until we narrowed it down
to only one, our team used a design evaluation matrix. We graded 9
different areas on a 1-5 grading scale in order to calculate which design had
the most desired qualities. After this step we went into elaborating and
implementing more ideas into the idea that we narrowed down with the
matrix.
Design Evaluation Matrix
Design Evaluation Matrix
Weight Wooden Vertical Plastic Horizontal Wooden Horizontal
Material 4 2 4 2
Size 3 4 4 4
Apperance 4 2 3 3
Power 4 5 4 4
Ease of Use 5 5 3 4
Weight 3 4 5 3
Access 2 5 2 5
Buble Direction 1 5 3 3
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Analyzing Solutions
Using the design evaluation matrix numbers, although the numbers
were close, we decided to go with the highest scoring design which was the
wooden case with the vertical stand for the motor. What made us chose this
design specifically was the ease of use section which was our highest
weighed category, and the wooden vertical design scored the highest out of
the other two designs. The team had discussed on probably steering away
from a wooden case, but we figured out that not only would it cost less to
manufacture, but it would also be less difficult to put together, and also it
would be stronger case. Finally, after researching and evaluating we decided
to finally produce a prototype with the wooden case vertical design.
Detail Design
After we had completed the preliminary design we started sketching
possible blueprints for what we wanted the prototype to look like in the end.
We sketched a rectangular prism with the dimensions of 1 ½ feet tall, 6
inches of length, and 6 inches of width. We also decided to make the design
into two separate parts, one was going to be the actual case, and the other
part was going to be part of the drainage system which would be detachable
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from the base. We also decided to put a door on the top of the case in order
to be closed whenever the person would be done enjoying seeing bubbles.
We also added another door on the front of the case which would be located
in the second compartment in order to access the batteries, and the drainage
system quickly and efficiently. During this stage we were still were
contemplating on going with the plastic design, but due mainly to cost and
uncertainty, we decided to go with the wooden case, which was going to be
a challenge either way.
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Results and Conclusions
After we were done with the designing phase we decided to finally go
ahead and start creating the wooden case with a vertical motor stand
prototype. Our prototype will set itself apart from the competition because
of the strong and sturdy material that the case is made of, which is stronger
than the flimsy plastic that some companies use for their designs. Also since
we made our case bigger than the actual motor, we could easily swap in a
bigger motor to increase the output of bubbles, which can’t be done with
conventional bubble machines. Also the easy access to the batteries and the
wiring is a plus for our design that many designs don’t have, which is crucial
whenever something goes wrong, and the wires need to be disconnected
from the power source immediately.
Appendix A contains matrix we used to help us eliminate from our
original designs, down to our one final design idea. Appendix B on the
other hand contains the financial information, which includes the pie chart,
and the list of everything we used in the design, and how much it cost the
team. Also we can make different models of this product to attract different
income earning families, instead of just one type of financial family.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Design Evaluation Matrix
Design Evaluation Matrix
Weight Wooden Vertical Plastic Horizontal Wooden Horizontal
Material 4 2 4 2
Size 3 4 4 4
Apperance 4 2 3 3
Power 4 5 4 4
Ease of Use 5 5 3 4
Weight 3 4 5 3
Access 2 5 2 5
Buble Direction 1 5 3 3
Appendix B: Cost Structure
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34%
6%
6%
6%
8%
8%
4%
23%
5%
Manufacturing Cost
Wood Switch Battery Holder Hinges Batteries Motor Funnel Labor Bubble solution
This chart is showing the breakdown of how much percentage of the
total money went to each section. The area that took the most money out of
our pockets was the wood, which was crucial in building the case for the
bubble machine. The cost won’t be so high if the design ever makes it to the
assembly line because mass purchasing of raw materials will be less money.
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We researched online for average pay for assembly line workers, and from
that we arrived at the conclusion of paying workers 11 dollars an hour to
produce the bubble machine.
Expenses Cost
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12 ft x 1 ft Utility Shelving $13.00
2 ft x 2 ft Lauan Plywood $3.70
Switch $3.00
8 AA Battery Holder $2.70
4 Hinges $2.90
8 AA Batteries $4.00
Motor $4.00
Funnel $2.00
Bubble solution $2.50
Labor $11.00/hr
Total: $37.80
This chart shows specifically what we bought in order to build our
prototype, and it also shows all the prices including total price which is how
much it would cost to manufacture the product excluding the labor cost.
This type of financial organization helped the team find out how we should
administer our budget, and also if we could spend more or less money on
certain items.
Appendix C: Project Pictures