Engineering Design, Manufacturing and Management Systems Presentations - Fall 2020

EDMMS MASTER’S PROGRAM APPLICATION PROCESS 

The current graduate school application process for the EDMMS department is inefficient:  the process is not automated and there is a time delay in providing applicants a response.  There are also instances in which physical copies of applications are used, which is against university and privacy protocols.  A workflow chart and procedure were created to streamline the process of applying and providing the applicant with a response within a reasonable amount of time. This plan will provide clarity on faculty reviewer requirements and compile electronic documents to eliminate paper copies.  An automated process layout was created in Microsoft Visio to illustrate the new process. Once revised and finalized, this process will drastically improve the efficiency and speed for the graduate application.  Following effective implementation, the new process can be introduced and applied to various other departments at the engineering college. 

HOUSING PRE-FABRICATION AND RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION

Enclosure during construction is often time-consuming, expensive, and at the mercy of the weather.  By introducing methods for manufacturing prefabricated enclosure components such as wall panels and roof sections, the impact of the three major variables was reduced.  Designs for trusses, roof sections, wall sections, and foundations were developed and selected using civil engineering principles; and manufacturing and logistical processes were optimized using engineering and project management skill sets.  These multi-disciplinary efforts were combined to create an accessible and versatile set of designs and instructions that can improve the effectiveness of both a skilled and non-skilled volunteer workforce.

Custom Concrete Mold Fixture

A local manufacturer found that their custom molds took too long to disassemble and reassemble between casts.  This project’s goal was to create an adjustable mold that was easy to assemble/disassemble and could accommodate the various sizes of concrete blocks needed for custom product design.  The high performing, weather resistant material used, called Meldstone, has a consistency much different than regular concrete, therefore creating additional variables to consider when creating a mold.  A design was created that not only has adjustable walls but also implements easy sealing seams to keep the concrete from leaking.  SolidWorks was used to generate ideas into visual representations, and a small-scale prototype was made to test the concept and work through any major constraints.  The final design will streamline the demolding and pouring process time, making them as quick as possible.

Refinement of Outdoor Wall Light Design and Manufacturing Process

The outdoor wall light fixtures on the garages at the Cedaridge Condominiums, Kalamazoo, MI are over 40 years old and need to be replaced.  The first version of a new fixture which meets the building’s mid-century design was created and made into a functional model in a previous senior project.  After six months of testing at Cedaridge, this model was redesigned and improved.  Creo Parametric software was used, and FEA testing was performed to check for possible points of failure.  The Dark Sky Association requirements to avoid light pollution were met.  Finally, a manufacturing process plan was created.  The evolved design and manufacturing plan will provide the Cedaridge Condominium Association with a potential outdoor lighting solution.

Recycling Non-Recyclable Bottle Caps

Many single-use plastic products are not currently recycled.  This project focused on bottle caps made from polypropylene (PP) (#5) and was promoted during campus tours to increase supply and attention to the project’s need.  Collected caps were sorted by color, washed in a custom washing machine, and pelletized into a usable resin.  The dried resins were fed into the injection molding press in the WMU plastics lab.  Project goals were to provide a more immersive campus tour experience to younger students through bottle cap donation, cut down on the roughly 1500 lbs. of plastic resin purchased by WMU each year for use in the labs, and expand possibilities of second life uses for products that currently don’t have a post-consumer recycling process.