Re-Engineering The Design Platform

Due to higher than expected material costs, and the unexpected delays regarding reopening of in-person education, some changes to the mechanical design was warranted to meet the unforeseen circumstances. The unexpected delay to in-person education resulted in reduced time for training in order to use the machines and welding techniques. As a result, the mechanical design and assembly needed reworking to minimize need of welding.

For construction of the prototype, the initial design of the platform and front dock featured a frame constructed from square tubing and thin steel sheets welded together for a strong bond. The new prototype design features the removal of all square tubing; instead, opting for the use of thicker steel sheets and steel-angle beams for added support. To attach the components together, 90-degree angle brackets will be used in conjunction with nuts and bolts with diameter of 1/4in.

Changes have also been made to the material choice, primarily due to availability and minimization of cost. The construction of the platform for the new design utilizes 1/8in thick sheets of CR 1010 steel sheets, which were chosen due to ease of availability at the University of Waterloo machine shop for a cheaper price compared to the original plan of using AISI 4140 alloy steel. The selected steel-angle is made of HRA (Hot Rolled Annealed) steel with flanges of 1.5in in length and thickness of 1/8in.