IED Activity 4.1- Puzzle Cube Design Challenge

Introduction

Have you ever looked at a product that has been well-designed? Do you find yourself asking questions such as, “How did the designer think of that idea?” or “What is involved in the creation of that product?” The more you study and learn about design and how designers create items, you begin to learn certain skills and knowledge that you can only acquire through experience. Design challenges provide opportunities to apply skills and knowledge in unique and creative ways.

Taking an idea you have and transferring it from a concept to a sketch, to working drawings, to models, and then to a working prototype is exciting and fun. It also entails several steps. When you are a one-person design and build team, the task of effective communication is rather simple. However, what happens when you must communicate your ideas to others, or when the responsibility for building a team’s solution falls on someone else’s shoulders? This increases the level of responsibility significantly and requires the development of a complete set of design documentation in order to communicate effectively.

This project will provide you the opportunity to exercise your creativity and develop your sketching and modeling skills, as well as your ability to use the computer as an efficient communication tool.

Equipment

Engineering notebook

Pencil

27 – ¾ in. hardwood cubes

27 – interlocking plastic centimeter cubes (optional)

Paper towels

Isometric grid paper

Orthographic grid paper

Markers (colored pencils or paint are optional)

Wood glue

Sandwich-sized Ziploc® bag for storage

220 abrasive paper

Computer with 3D CAD solid modeling software

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STEP 1: -Define problem (including a design brief)

STEP 2: Generating Concepts

               -Brainstorming (including part possibility configurations)

               -Research (including applied statistical analysis)

STEP 3: Develop a Solution

               -Explore possibilities (develop two different puzzle cube possibilities, and use isometric drawings, sketch out all three levels of cube)

               -Developing a design proposal (create a multi-view drawing for each piece of the chosen cube [including an isometric sketch])

STEP 4: Construct and Test a Prototype

               -Physical prototype 

               -Prototype packaging 

               -Virtual prototype (see step 6)

STEP 5: Evaluate Solutions

              -Test, evaluate, and redesign (answer the following questions: Why is it important to model an idea before making a final prototype? Which assembly constraint(s) did you use to constrain the parts of the puzzle to the assembly such that it did not move? Describe each of the constraint types used and explain the degrees of freedom that are removed when each is exhibited.

STEP 6: Present Solution (include drawing files created on Autodesk Inventor). Include:

             1.Title Page

             2.Parts List/Exploded View

             3.Assembly Page

             4.Individual Parts Page (All 5 Pieces)