If you would like to see more information on this case study, click here!
You can request this case study and a WCDE staff member will get back to you.
Case revision date:
2014-04-27
Summary:
Polycon Industries, a subsidiary of Magna International, manufactures exterior auto-body plastic parts including GMX-350 fasciae. The GMX-350 fascia is a General Motors part referring to the Buick Regal vehicle. At the company facility in Guelph, Ontario, the fasciae are fabricated using injection moulding machines. Once the part is moulded, robots remove the fascia from the mould cavity and place that on a conveyor. Gates and runners are removed from the molded part and then painted before being shipped to their respective automotive manufacturer. The current automation process in place on the injection moulding machine to manufacture the fasciae can only place the molded fascia on the conveyor in a certain orientation which is not convenient for subsequent procedures. This orientation creates two major problems, one being that the fascia is too wide to be properly supported by the conveyor system and the other being that the part must be rotated 180° before the operators able to work on it. To address both of these concerns a rotary table was suggested on the conveyor system.
Steven Albert-Green, a co-op student from the University of Waterloo, was asked to analyze existing design of an automated rotary table and highlight its functionality with respect to project objectives.
Learning objectives:
The teaching objective of this case is to illustrate machine design process. The main expected learning outcome is for students to practice design synthesis. It is intended that the case study be open-ended, where students will need to move through the engineering design process, and conceptualize adequate solutions based on the design requirements.
Key words:
CEAB attributes:
Problem Analysis; Investigation; Design; Use of engineering tools; Impact of engineering on society and the environment; Individual and team work
Modules:
Module 01 – Case Study
Module 02 – Preliminary Design Alternatives
Module 03 – Environmental Analysis
Module 04 – Preliminary Costing Analysis
Module 05 – Recommended Solution
Module TN – Teaching Note
