project report

Student's name


Student's number


Course name


Date


















Introduction
ME176 is a course unit in the engineering field. The unit in subject
equips students with professional skills and the use of professional tools.
In a project like this you have to first intend the design outcome, outline
clear specifications, perform some analysis and lastly create an artifact.
This team's final ME176 project will culminate the design prototyping of
this class. This project will also help the demonstration of each student's
ability in the application of engineering designs.


Project definition
In this ME176 project students are expected to come up with a test
device launching a tennis ball. The device in question must repeatedly
launch the ball and hit the dunking booth target five times. A maximum of
ten chances will be given in order to do this. Two targets will be set
where the students will aim at. The students will aim at either landing the
ball in a 5 gallon bucket or either hit a 6'' diameter target placed five
feet off the ground.
Project requirements
The device to do launching must be light as possible. Cost
effectiveness should also be considered and thus students will have to
provide some of their items. Away from the ball being as light as possible,
it must be free from any disturbance from gravity; accuracy is still to be
considered. Accuracy will still ensure that the ball is thrown a long
distance. The table below shows some of the activities in cooperated in
order to make this project a success. The activities include meetings which
allowed contribution of individual ideas.








Table of required activities










"Project Schedule/Milestones "Date "Course "
" " "Points "
"Assignment Given "April 14 "- "
"Individual concept ideas (2 "April 21 "10 "
"required) " " "
"In-class concept review and "April 21 "30 "
"design selection " " "
"Required team meeting/review "April 28 "10 "
"plans " " "
"Required minimal function demo*"May 5 "25* "
"Project Competition**, Device "May 13th @ noon "50**/25/100 "
"Quality and Design Report " " "
" TOTAL 250 "
































Front view concept of the project































"Dunking Booth" Choice of Targets



Top view concept of the project

















































Device launching
The team managed to build the device and tested it to ascertain
accuracy. Testing was repeated severally so that it would hit the dunking
booth at least 5 times. The team had the choice to launch tennis ball from
distances of 20, 25, or 30 feet away from the target or bucket. The device
was to fit in a 2ft sizing cube. After getting the device out of the cube
we had 30 seconds to set up the device so as to be able to launch a tennis
ball the desired distance. Trigger mechanism was used and was only to be
pulled by one if the students.


Budget table
The school provided the team with some of the EPF minor fabrication
materials although we made some contributions






"Items "cost "pieces "
"Rubber band "$2 "10 "
"Gallon "$2 "10 "
"Dunking booth "$7 "10 "
"Tennis ball "$10 "10 "
"total "$21 "$210 "
" " " "
" "








Observation
The formula used for the calculation of scores at times remained in
accurate. This is due to the difference in students' body structures and
strength. Some made long throws that would go far beyond the expected
range. The materials used to make the trigger function also failed the
device. The rubber band also was not a perfect material for such a device.
An iron spring would have been a better alternative. This is due to its
strength to withstand a strong pull. Moreover it would have produced a
standard throw for all the team makes.
Conclusion
The making of the tennis ball launching device was a milestone. This
was archived through contributions of ideas and plans from the team.
However in a challenging project like this a lot of problems are obviously
encountered. Some of the most challenging ones are scooping time from the
busy academic time table to make for meetings. However despite the so many
challenges the team gathered ideas and the launching device succeed.
-----------------------
Both targets

Launch distance
to both targets
(20, 25, or 30 feet)

Launch Tennis Balls from Device that is anywhere behind line

Standard 5-gallon bucket resting on the ground

6" diameter vertical target at 5 ft. elevation