Problem: Construct a blast chamber that could double as a drop test chamber for testing parts.
Must be accessible from three sides
Must be at least 7 feet tall
Must include pre-existing drop rack design
As a part of my second co-op which I completed at Cirkul, I was tasked with building a blast chamber that could double as a drop test chamber for testing parts.
The way I went about designing this room was by first making drawings on paper. I decided to build the room out of 80-20 and to make the windows out of polycarbonate panels. I made many tentative sketches in a notebook before deciding on a final design. After the design was settled on, I built my design in Onshape. I imported parts into the CAD file from the website McMaster to see how they would fit together with the frame, such as the handles for the doors and hinges to attach to the doors.
After designing the room in Onshape, I had to make a bill of materials for the parts I had to order. I sourced different parts from different websites based on what was the least expensive. I then presented this bill of materials to my manager and got clearance to order the parts needed for the build.
Once the parts came in, me, and my coworkers assembled the room in 8 hours total. The fasteners that came with the hinges and handles were all slide in and not drop in, so we had to account for every single fastener and screw while putting the doors together. If we missed one, we would have to take the entire door apart to put the missing fastener in.
After the assembly of the room was complete, I attached the previously existing drop rack to the room and attached a string to the rack, so that it could be pulled up and dropped from out of the room. We used the room to test some bottles and it worked perfectly, and will be used to test many bottles and parts in the future.
Lessons Learned
Plan out how something will be assembled in advance
Minimize costs while ensuring safety and structural soundness
Designing something new to function with pre-existing fixtures
Skills Applied
Onshape
BOM Creation
Excel
Part Assembly
Teamwork