Your manager requires you to present your design report to your colleagues, they are likely to have many questions and suggestions for your design, it is important to be prepared for a Q&A session at the end of your

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO1: Plan a design solution and prepare an engineering design specification in response to a stakeholder’s design brief and requirementsLO2: Formulate possible technical solutions to address the student-prepared design specification.LO3: Prepare an industry-standard engineering technical design reportLO4: Present to an audience a design solution based on the design report and evaluate the solution/presentation

Assignment Brief and Guidance

PLEASE READ THIS BRIEF CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU START THIS ASSIGNMENT

Example Scenario:

You work for a company that provides design solutions for a range of businesses and clients for both Mechanical and Electrical engineering applications. You have been approached by a client who utilises Automated Seedling Transplanters in the function of their farming operation.

As part of the design team, you are required to develop a design solution for a component or system within the Automated Seedling Transplanters, considering the background information provided. Finally, you should produce a presentation of the final design to conclude and pitch your design solution.

The different members of the design team will be targeting different elements of the Automated Seedling Transplanters, and after some discussion, you have first choice as to what part of the system you will tackle based on your area of expertise. You can either decide this by conducting your own research on Automated Seedling Planters or by considering the essential design elements section of the client background information. Your manager has purposefully left this open for you to decide and is happy for you to work on whatever element of the Automated Seedling Planter that you feel is most suited to you.

To achieve the above objectives, the assignment is divided into three distinctive tasks, highlighted below, which ensures a robust design process.

1. Task 1 – Planning activities
2. Task 2 – Detailed Design Report
3. Task 3 – Video presentation & Debrief

Here are a few videos which show examples of such systems

Automatic seedling planting machine on farm in Australia (youtube.com)
Fully Automated Vegetable Transplanter PW20R (youtube.com)

Here is a link to some articles related to solar-powered robots

Solar-powered robot drills and weeds on Shropshire farm – Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)
Planting robots: Sowing the seeds of the agricultural future | HowToRobot

IMPORTANT

Before you start this unit, you need to decide on a component or system you want to design. It would be beneficial if this was related to your workplace. It is imperative that you discuss your design thoughts with the tutor below to ensure that what you’re proposing is suitable and achievable and that you have a clear understanding of the requirements.

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This should be done via emailing both of the tutors below (i.e., ensure both tutors are added to the address line of your email). This email should briefly explain the intended component or system you want to design and your plan. If further assistance is required after this, it can be arranged.The unit tutors are:

• Tom Cottage (tom@unicourse.org)

Client Background Information for the example client brief

Product: Solar-Powered Automated Seedling Transplanter

Target Audience: Small-scale farmers, horticulturalists, and plant nurseries with a focus on sustainable practices.

Purpose:

• To reduce the labour-intensive and time-consuming task of manually transplanting seedlings from seed trays to larger pots or open ground.
• To improve the efficiency and accuracy of transplanting, minimising damage to delicate seedlings.
• To offer an affordable solution suitable for small-scale operations with limited resources.
• To provide an environmentally friendly solution by using renewable energy and minimising waste.

Essential Design Elements:

• Mechanism: A mechanism to gently lift and remove seedlings from biodegradable seed trays without damaging roots or stems. (Consider: Vacuum suction, gripper arms designed for compatibility with biodegradable materials)
• Transfer System: A method to safely transport seedlings to the desired planting location. (Consider: Conveyor belt, rotating carousel, or a robotic arm designed for energy efficiency)
• Planting Mechanism: A way to accurately and consistently plant seedlings with minimal soil disturbance at the correct depth and spacing. (Consider an automated dibbler with adjustable depth control and a soil dispenser that optimises soil moisture.
• Power Source and Electrical System: The Automated Seedling Transplanter is powered by Solar Panels; the electrical system must be considered and designed (Consider: Electric motor, etc.)
• Controls and User Interface: Simple and intuitive controls allow the operator to adjust settings (e.g., planting depth, spacing), and monitor energy usage.
• Managing of Waste: It is important that waste management is considered. (Consider: Biodegradable seed trays, waste management planning)

Additional Considerations for the Design Brief:

• Materials: Specify durable and easy-to-clean materials suitable for outdoor use.
• Ergonomics: Consider the physical comfort and safety of the operator during prolonged use.
• Maintenance: Design for easy maintenance and cleaning to ensure longevity.
• Environment: Including design for recyclability and the minimum use of materials
• Cost: Aim for an affordable price point to make the product accessible to small-scale operations

Task 1 Activity:

The starting point for a design project is the initial interpretation of the client brief and the development of a working specification that would meet this brief. Once the specification has been established it will be necessary to plan and schedule the activities and resources to deliver the final design.

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Firstly, you will assume the role of the client and develop the design brief, then in your role as a design engineer you will develop a detailed design specification, after which you will need to compare your specification with a typical published guide on preparing an industrial design specification.

Finally, you will need to research project management techniques and develop a Gantt chart (indicating the critical path) for the design activities to be undertaken in task 2.

To achieve the above you need to produce a report which addresses the activities detailed in sections 1 to 5 below:

1. Design Brief – Assuming the role of the client you are required to formulate a design brief for the product/system. The design brief will be the main starting point for the design process and will describe in enough detail the essential elements of the design and its main function that the design is intended to address.
2. Design Specification – Develop a detailed design specification, this should typically include the functional & performance requirements, environmental operational conditions and applicable published standards.
3. Comparison with ACCESS-FM – Comment on the similarities or differences between your specification (2.0) and an industry standard method of preparing a specification such as ACCESS-FM. Ask yourself does the specification developed in section 2.0 address (or otherwise) the topics suggested by ACCESS-FM.
4. Planning Techniques – Give a brief overview two different project planning techniques that may be used in the design phase of the project (task 2) and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Explain which of these two techniques you have chosen for the design phase of your project and justify your reasons for doing so. (Do not use a Gantt chart as one of your techniques, as it is already required below)
5. Gantt chart and Critical Path – Create a detailed Gantt chart using ‘Gantt project’ (link below) for the design phase of the project (task 2), your Gantt chart should clearly demonstrate the critical path. Discuss the importance of the critical path when managing a project of this kind.

ON COMPLETION OF TASK 1, PLEASE SEND YOUR COMPLETED TASK 1 WORK TO THE UNIT TUTORS AS AN EMAIL ATTACHMENT. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED AT THIS STAGE (IT WILL LATER BE MARKED AS PART OF THE WHOLE ASSIGNMENT), THE TUTORS WILL REVIEW YOUR WORK AND PROVIDE ANY INITIAL FEEDBACK TO YOU. PLEASE AWAIT THIS FEEDBACK BEFORE STARTING TASK 2.

Note:
Recommended word-count for task 1: 2000 (this count excludes, contents, references, appendices, diagrams)

Useful links for task 1
Product Design Specification
https://studylib.net/doc/18067350/product-design-specifications
ACCESS-FM
https://www.excitededucator.com/home/access-fm-examples
Gantt Project (Make sure you download the fee version. This software will also be required for unit 4)
https://www.ganttproject.biz

Task 2 Activity:

DURING YOUR COMPLETION OF TASK TWO, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, OR REQUIRE ASSISTANCE PLEASE USE THE ASSISTANCE FORM ON MOODLE TO REQUEST SUPPORT. THIS WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE ABOVE TUTORS, WHO WILL CONTACT YOU TO ARRANGE SUITABLE SUPPORT.

With the design specification and project plan in place from task 1, it is now time for the practical aspects of the design project to begin. You should now develop the design to completion and produce a detailed design report and presentation.

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To achieve the above you need to produce a ‘Design Report’ it is suggested that you base your report on the following structure addressing the topics as detailed below:

• Title page, this should feature the project title, your name and assignment title – perhaps a nice graphic, if you like (no page number on this sheet).
• Abstract, this is a self-contained summary of the complete report, this should be less than half a page (page number i).
• Acknowledgements, this is where you acknowledge support from colleagues, friends, other organisations etc (page number ii).
• Contents table, this lists each section in the document and the page number where that section begins (page number iii).
• 1.0 Introduction – The introduction states the purpose and goals of your report. A few short paragraphs will suffice here (this is always section 1, and numbered page 1).
• 2.0 Specification – This could be an overview of the specification from task 1, you can also refer to the design specification in task 1.
• 3.0 Literature Review – In this section you need to demonstrate that you have undertaken researched in the subject area, this could include underpinning theory, books, journals, trade publications, component manufactures web sites, similar work by others etc. The literature review should enable you to establish three possible design solutions, which are to be presented in section 4.0.
• 4.0 Design Options and Decision Matrix – This should be a shortlist and brief description of three potential design options that you have developed, with a final, justified selection of the design you wish to put forward (use a Pugh engineering decision matrix).
• 5.0 Detail design, Your detailed design needs to demonstrate:
  • Any modelling (physical tests, calculations, software simulations etc) that you have done in developing your design.
  • Verification of decisions that you made such as material selection, component selection etc.
  • How the design links back to the design specification, comparing the specification and the design.
  • That you have considered how the component/system can be manufactured or installed.
  • How the design complies with industry standards, and health and safety policies.
  • The risks to the completion of the design phase, this can be evaluated using a ‘Cause and Effect Diagram’ which should be inserted into appendix A.
• 6.0 Design Review – Review your final design in terms of both its positives and negatives, consider:
  • Are there any limitations to the design that would need future consideration?
  • Was the design constrained by the original client brief?
  • Areas that you would recommend for further work.
• 7.0 Conclusion – this needs to be a clear statement saying that in developing the design you have accomplished the requirements of the design brief and specification.
• References (no section number), you need to reference all the sources of information that you have used in the report.
• Appendices, the appendices can contain any other relevant information you would like to include, you may have as many appendices as you want, each labelled Appendix A, B, C—– etc.

Note
Recommended wordcount for task 2: – 5000 (this count excludes, contents, references, appendices, diagrams)

Task 3 Activity:

Your manager requires you to present your design report to your colleagues, they are likely to have many questions and suggestions for your design, it is important to be prepared for a Q&A session at the end of your presentation.

1. Produce a professional engineering presentation for your colleagues (typically 10 slides).
2. Formally present your work to your colleagues, you are also required to produce a video or videos of yourself presenting, the duration of the presentation should be about 10 minutes plus additional time for Q&A.

NOTE: This Presentation should be treated as the final ‘pitch’ of your design report, it should include sufficient detail to explain your approach and reasoning for your design choices.

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Note: It is important that you can be identified on the video, so please ensure that you can be seen and heard. MP4 format is preferable, and please ensure that your file size(s) are not overly large (less than 300 MB). If you do need to submit more than one video file, please ensure that the files are labelled appropriately with order number clearly identified. Also, would you please introduce yourself with full name and course studied.

3. Now that the project has concluded your manager wants a short debrief report of the project. Your debrief report should contain the following:
   1. Is there anything that you would have changed if you had not been restricted by the specification or standards? Why do you think design specifications and industry standards are important when producing a finished product?
   2. Read and evaluate your own report, how effective do you think your design report is for producing a finished product?
   3. Explore different methods you could have used to communicate your ideas to the audience. Do you think your presentation was the most effective way to communicate, or would there be a better way to communicate your design to others?
   4. In future projects would you do anything differently? Based on the feedback given by your colleagues, and your own personal reflection, what recommendations would you make if the project was to carry on further?

TASKS 1 and 3 c) SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH TASK 2. THESE SHOULD BE ADDED AT THE VERY END OF THE FORMAL DESIGN REPORT (Task 2) AFTER THE APPENDICES.

Recommended Resources

Textbooks

DUL, J. and WEERDMEESTER, B. (2008) Ergonomics for beginners. 3rd Ed.
Boca Raton: CRC Press.

DYM, C.L., LITTLE, P. and ORWIN, E. (2014) Engineering Design: a Project Based
Introduction. 4th Ed. Wiley.

GRIFFITHS, B. (2003) Engineering Drawing for Manufacture.
Kogan Page Science.

REDDY, K.V. (2008) Textbook of Engineering Drawing. 2nd Ed. Hyderabad:
British Standard Publications.

Websites

www.epsrc.ac.uk
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (General Reference)

www.imeche.org
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (General Reference)