Manufacturing Commons^™

Design Of An Automated Welding Process For Synergy Mfg., Parsa Bakhtiari

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This senior project involves a partnership with a local off-road parts manufacturer called Synergy Mfg. Synergy is experiencing a rapid increase in demand that is difficult to meet with their current processes. Because of this issue, Synergy is exploring automation in order to decrease their cycle times and increase their production output. More specifically, this report concentrates on automating a manual welding process that has a lengthy cycle time which causes Synergy’s difficulties with meeting demand. Due to time constraints, this project focused on the automation of a welding process for only one part that Synergy produces. This part contains …

Predictive Analytics In Forecasting, Matthew Suarez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Predicting future demand can be of tremendous help to businesses in scheduling and allocating appropriate amounts of material and labor. The more accurate these predictions are, the more the business will save money by matching supply with demand as closely as possible. The approach for an accurate forecast, and the goal of this project, involves using data analytics techniques on past historical sales data. Working with Campus Dining, a year's worth of their daily sales data will be analyzed and ultimately used for the end result of both an accurate forecasting technique and a way to display the results in …

Design Of A Finger Lime Loading System, Joel Jameson Hitchen

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Automation for post harvest processing of finger limes is required to meet demand for the new citrus fruit being introduced to United States of America food and agriculture market. As labor wages rise, and demand climbs for finger lime product a creative solution is needed to eliminate human labor and reduce the manual input needed to process finger limes. Building on an already successful processing tool, a semi-­automated loading system was designed and implemented to overcome the problem.

Effect Of Composition And Build Direction On Additively Manufactured Hastelloy X Alloys, Justin A. Spitzer, Jeffrey T. Schloetter, Sarah Zerga

Materials Engineering

Microcracking has caused premature failure and reduction in properties in additively manufactured (AM) Hastelloy X. The purpose of this research is to meet or exceed the mechanical properties of wrought Hastelloy X by modifying the composition and build direction of Hastelloy X manufactured using Direct Metal Deposition (DMD). Tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and metallography were performed on the samples. ANOVA was used to analyze the dependence that the properties had on build direction and composition. The nominal composition wrought samples had a yield strength of 310.1 MPa and a 60.79% Elongation. Alloy P60-X18 in a horizontal build had …

Additive Manufacturing For Post-Processing, Nathan D. Goodwin, Andrew Furmidge

Mechanical Engineering

Additive Manufacturing for Post Processing (AMPP) is a team comprised of two Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering students: Nathan Goodwin and Andrew Furmidge. The project is focused in the area of metal additive manufacturing (AM) machines, which are still a developing technology. Improvements have been made to the quality of the machines in the past years, but many limitations still exist. One of these is the inability to print parts that are larger than the build volume. In an effort to solve this problem, whole parts are divided into pieces that are printed individually. This team’s senior project is to create …

Bear Minimum: Ultralight Composite Bear Canister, Rama B. Adajian, Adam C. Eisenbarth

Mechanical Engineering

The ultralight backpacking community needs a strong, easy to use, safe bear canister that is lighter than current market products for trekking in the backcountry. A full design of the lid for the bear canister is to be completed. This includes the locking mechanism to ensure it is bear proof, the interface between the lid and the canister, and the structure of the lid so it passes the strength and weight specifications. The lid, along with the already designed canister body, is to be manufactured with formal documentation. The lid will initially be tested separately and then with the canister …

Characterization Of Flexible Hybrid Electronics Using Stretchable Silver Ink And Ultra-Thin Silicon Die, Joshua A. Ledgerwood

Master's Theses

Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHEs) offer many advantages to the future of wearable technology. By combining the dynamic performance of conductive inks, and the functionality of ultra-thinned, traditional IC technology, new FHE devices allow for development of applications previously excluded by relying on a specific type of electronics technology.

The characterization and reliability analysis of stretchable conductive inks paired with ultra-thin silicon die in theµm range was conducted. A silver based ink designed to be stretchable was screen printed on a TPU substrate and cured using box oven, conveyor convection oven, and photonic curing processes. Reliability tests were conducted including a …

Design For Waste Reduction And Efficiency Improvement For The Construction Usage Of The Tower Crane, George Merida, Roman Richard

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Webcor Concrete Group’s on-site tower crane is currently experiencing unknown forms of inefficiency. The project team used the DMAIC methodology to implement Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control in order to guide and structure the project. After the project team formulated a problem statement, observations were collected of tower crane deliveries resulting in 470 individual data points. The data was then analyzed using basic statistics, histograms, and lean manufacturing tools in order to identify wastes and inefficiencies. Once the wastes and inefficiencies were identified, root cause analysis was performed. The identified root causes were then used as the basis for …

Designing An Information System To Efficiently Coordinate Film Screenings, Galen Dougherty

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This paper explains the engineering concepts design efforts used to build an information system to efficiently coordinate film screenings. The market served is an emerging group of film makers and production companies that have limited resources. The application aims to save both time and money in coordination efforts for screening films in the local community. The project case examined is a small production start-up from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo named Yellow Glass Media. The design described in the paper specifically targets their needs which are assumed to be representative of the needs of the larger emerging market. The design …

Inyo National Forest Sign Maker, Brandon Mainini, Lauren Kirk, Alec Boyer

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Development Of 3d Compression Molded Composite Primary Structure, Sean D. Tischler, Jacob H. Goldstein, Alea A. Perez

Mechanical Engineering

The work accomplished by the Black Gold team improved upon the carbon fiber compression molding research and information available on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. The team used the rear suspension rocker arm off a Ventana Alpino mountain bike as a design goal for this project. This research and body of work includes the methods used to design a compression molded part for complex part loading and shape. This extends to the process of choosing an appropriate layup process, in addition to benefits and drawbacks of the use of chopped fibers in compression molding. The research includes the …

Leading Edge Boundary Layer Suction Device For The Cal Poly Rolling Road Wind Tunnel, Daniel C. Glover, Liam M. Madden, Robert J. Cabri

Mechanical Engineering

Over the course of three quarters from Fall of 2016 to Spring of 2017, our team designed and built a boundary layer suction device. The boundary layer suction device has three main functions: a scoop that redirects most of the boundary layer air out of the wind tunnel, fans that suck the remaining boundary layer air through a porous plate and ducting and out of the wind tunnel, and a transition bridge that transitions the remaining air smoothly onto the rolling road. The wind tunnel is owned by Cal Poly and the rolling road is a new addition to it. …

Universal Fixture For Orbital Tube Welding, Kevin P. Mcgowan, William Divittorio, Jesse Castaneda

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Pedal-Powered Drivetrain System, Geremy J. Patterson, Callaghan Fenerty, Bradley Welch

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Deployable Antenna For Cubesat, Mackenzie Thomas Lennon, Caleb Andrew Barber, David Matthew Galves

Mechanical Engineering

This project is a proof-of-concept ground model of a large deployable antenna designed for the small space requirements of CubeSats. This small deployment module is designed to fit a 2 m by 1 m reflective antenna inside a storage volume of with the dimensions 20 cm by 20 cm x 40 cm. The reflector will be deployed to a parabolic shape with the goal of modeling the reflector necessary for high frequency communication. Because this module is designed as a proof-of-concept for the deployable parabolic reflector specifically, no electrical components will be incorporated and will just focus on the deployment …

Drawing And Twisting Of Graphene Fibers, Gregory T. Lane, Robert J. Sekerak, Isaias Diaz

Mechanical Engineering

The aim of this project was to develop a more automated process for drawing and twisting of graphene fibers than was currently in place. This was implemented by having two chemical baths with variable speed rollers at either end, and intermediate roller to spool fiber between stages, and a twisting cylinder with integral spool to twist the fiber as it is collected. The goal was to have this first iteration deliver a working prototype, however due to manufacturing delays and timing constraints, that will be missed. A second follow-on project would be able to continue the work presented here and …

Design Of Process Improvements To Increase Field Work Efficiency At Webcor Concrete Group, Fiona Blackburn

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This study set out to analyze and improve field work efficiency at Webcor Concrete Group, a subcontractor working on a new housing project at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. Specifically, they would like to access their performance in regards to end-of-break to back-to-work time and the 30-30 rule, which states that everything a field worker needs should be accessible within 30 seconds or 30 feet. The problem statement is that Webcor wishes to utilize their field hours 5% more efficiently through a study of current shortcomings and recommended improvements. A review of the literature generated process improvement ideas …

Design Of An Improved Toolbox And Connex For Webcor Builders, Veronica Ana Valley, Jamie Mari Kusumoto

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Webcor builders asked the Senior Project team to create a design of an organized job box on Solidworks that improves worker efficiency, improves jobsite organization, and limits financial losses, which are common tool-related issues for the company. As a group, the members analyzed the job box current situation using multiple perspectives to create two designs, one streamlined by each project group member. The project group developed each of the designs based on a current state analysis in which we analyzed the job box, simulated finding tools to create multiple motion studies, collected worker feedback, conducted an ergonomic analysis, conducted a …

Redesign Of Good Karma Bike’S Facility Layout And Bike Storage Process, Ryan Phillip Ogan, Derek Chung, Tommy Chang

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Good Karma Bikes is a non-profit organization that services and restores bikes that customers bring into the shop. Good Karma Bikes has plans for a dramatic increase in storage capacity for the next few years. Good Karma Bike’s warehouse area is currently overflowing with bikes due to the large increase in demand. A redesign of the warehouse layout is needed to handle the increase of incoming bikes and to improve product flow through the space. The project team’s objectives are to:

• Improve accessibility and reduce time it takes to unrack a bike
• Increase space utilization by improving bike storage capacity …

Design Of Material Flow And Tracking System For Supply Chain And Logistics: E. & J. Gallo Winery – Modesto Campus, Joshua Balland, Angela Mariani

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

E. & J. Gallo is a winemaking company located in Modesto, California. Our group was assigned to measure and analyze E. & J. Gallo’s current state process for their 5-Buggies (transportation trailers) to find key areas of inefficiency. After analyzing their current state process, we designed a more efficient flow of materials for the 5-Buggy system within the Automatic Train Loading (ATL) station and found an optimal solution for tracking the 5-Buggies on the Modesto campus. Our project started with preliminary research on fleet management, material management systems, and tracking methodologies. Once these areas of research were fully understood, our …

Design Of A Process To Implement An Annual Community Fundraiser For Sprout Up, Katherine Lynette Phillips, Kimberly Nicole Walter

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Sprout Up—in San Luis Obispo—is currently a non-profit organization that teaches free environmental science education to first and second graders around the San Luis Obispo area. Due to recent circumstances, Sprout Up will soon be losing its non-profit status, and therefore they will be losing their funding as well. Their problem is that they need a stable annual fundraiser that will help the organization continue to provide free services to local elementary schools as a Cal Poly club rather than a non-profit. Multi-criteria analysis techniques were used to determine what would be the best solution to their problem and found …

Reusable Container System Optimization For Smart Cities, Aubrey Gail Sloan, Lukas James Pinkston, Andrew James Seaman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Federal and local governments are investing in methods to discourage use of disposable containers in order to reduce waste generation and protect the environment. In this project we propose the use of reusable takeout food containers as a replacement for disposable takeout food containers. Reusable takeout container systems may use barcode or RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to track and manage the distribution, collection, cleaning, and end-of-life recycling of reusable takeout food containers. Such systems will require the use of container collection bins. The design and optimization of a network of container collection bins is the topic of this project. …

Design Of A Decision-Aiding Model Between Subtractive Manufacturing And 3d-Printing, Tuan Minh Ryan Pham, Colton Harrison

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

3D-printing is becoming more and more widely used in industry. As this happens, manufacturers are becoming unsure of when to use this new technology and when to trudge on with subtractive (conventional) manufacturing processes. Subtractive manufacturing processes are well-established within many manufacturing companies due to its high efficiencies and low costs. However, 3D-printing offers a greater level of customization, can be automated, and can easily have designs transferred via computer files. Each method has its respective advantages, however, each one also has its downfalls. Subtractive manufacturing produces unnecessary waste, is limited from creating certain geometries, and requires a skilled laborer …

Golf Club Prototyping And Design For Spin Rate Tuning, Cole Nygren, Jordan Wright, Jesse Yap

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The aim of this project was to design a golf wedge capable of increasing backspin for the amateur golfer. This was accomplished by embedding a metal lattice structure behind the clubface to allow the face to elastically deform slightly upon impact. This would increase contact time between the club and ball. The mechanism of spin generation was discussed and the relationship between contact time and spin rate was established. The design was enabled by using additive manufacturing, which allowed for the generation of a metal lattice structure. An appropriate control and prototype were designed to minimize run time and material …

Manufacturing Process And Product Design For Mass Production Of Environmentally-Friendly Fishing Lures And Weights, David Ichlokmanian, Justin Jake Bert

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The current industry standard for the manufacture of recreational fishing tackle uses lead-based weights and PVC or silicone-based lures. Both materials have serious negative effects on those who handle these products, waterfowl, fish, and other animals that may consume this discarded tackle. The goal of this project is to find and design an environmentally safe process and product alternative for this industry. To do this, we researched a large amount of viable safe materials for weights and lures and used decision matrices to decide on the best one. We found that brass would be the most suitable alternative and created …

Addressing The Existence Of Overcrowding In The Cal Poly Rec Center Exercise Rooms, Josue Alvarez, Robert Hemphill

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Cal Poly’s Rec Center is a facility that has been extremely popular among students ever since its initial creation many decades ago. Despite its popularity being a positive quality in most ways, it does ultimately yield a certain issue for the users of the facility; the issue of overcrowding. This senior project aimed to analyze the problem of overcrowding at the Rec Center and improve upon its most critical areas of impact. Ultimately, we identified the Rec Center’s exercise rooms as the most impacted area, with the issue of equipment unavailability being the largest factor. Thus, we designed alternative equipment …

Design Of Standard Operating Procedures For Concrete Delivery And Pour Data Collection And Analysis, Andrew Willard, Mitchell Wilhelmsen

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Webcor Concrete Group (WCG) is a self-perform subsidiary of Webcor Builders, a large general contractor in the state of California. Inefficiencies plague the construction industry, resulting in Webcor reaching out to the Cal Poly Industrial and Manufacturing Department and its students for help. The opportunity addressed in this report centers on a lack of concrete pour data collection. This gap results in a struggle to defend against, or pursue, backcharges with their concrete suppliers regarding additional labor costs or wasted material. The project objective is to provide WCG with a baseline data collection system and procedure, leading to increased back-charge …

Liquid Force Kite Control System Design, Brendan Kerr, Brodie Sutherland, Alden Simmer

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Kiteboarding is an ocean sport wherein the participant, also known as a kiter, uses a large inflatable bow shaped kite to plane across the ocean on a surfboard or wakeboard. The rider is connected to his or her kite via a control bar system. This control system allows the kiter to steer the kite and add or remove power from the kite, in order to change direction and increase or decrease speed. This senior project focused on creating a new control bar system to replace a control bar system manufactured by a kiteboarding company, Liquid Force. The current Liquid Force …

Creating The Foundation For A Startup: Design And Implementation Of A Database System For An Electrical Bicycle Rental Company, Alejandro Martinez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

BoltAbout was started by 4 Cal Poly students, and their COO is a fellow Industrial Engineering student that I met during the first half of the senior project series class. He presented the project to me and I decided to work with him in developing this new database for his startup company. BoltAbout’s customer base is growing and current operations are not fit to meet the demand of a growing company. More specifically, their data management system can’t be used by all current employees to perform essential tasks such as rental processing, bicycle and equipment organization, and customer data analysis. …

A Study Into The Production Efficiency Of Cal Poly Chocolates, Fernando Calderon

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The project objective was to: identify ways to reduce the production cost of Cal Poly Chocolates. The project was executed through the DMAIC approach, a data driven improvement cycle. Using several industrial engineering tools, six improvement opportunities were found. Three project deliverables were created and three process changes were recommended. The total annual savings, if recommendations are implemented, sum to $1700.