Lamellophone
Boston University | Candidate for M.S. in Product Design & Manufacture | Spring 2024
OBJECTIVE
Design and produce 10 identical assemblies of a functional lamellophone. The objective is not necessarily to create a novel design, but to select appropriate production processes and understand what it takes to create multiples of a product in spec at the production level.
SKILLS SNAPSHOT
DFM/DFA
ONSHAPE
COST ANALYSIS
MATERIAL SELECTION
PRIOR ART RESEARCH
VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER RESEARCH
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA)
SHEET METAL BENDING
ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT (ECM)
DESIGN STEPS
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Reached out to a subject matter expert Bart Hopkin to obtain a copy of his book Making Lamellophones and took notes which informed specifications
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Established the team's Enterprise Content Management (ECM) strategy
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Wrote product specifications including size, weight, and tuning for each key
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Did sheet metal bending of keys and retention clip for first prototype, then helped design and troubleshoot the wire EDM'd die in further iterations
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Did all material selection analyses in ANSYS Granta
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Conducting EVT, DVT, PVT, and Mass Production (MP) cost analyses in aPriori
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Performed FEA analyses in ANSYS Mechanical Workbench to prove the life of the keys would be sufficient per our requirements
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Wrote 5 SOPs and 5 process plans for four parts and the assembly
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Created EVT, DVT, PVT, and MP presentations
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Designed a tuning fixture to cut down on assembly time
An initial sketch of a concept I proposed
Photos of the team's first successful prototype
Tuning fixture I designed, in CAD and in use! It helps set the lengths of each key.
RESULTS
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11 functional, identical, tuned prototypes!​
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1 Wire EDM'd die and 1 FDM 3D-printed tuning fixture
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Cost analyses including material cost, labor cost, and machine time for all parts, assembly processes, accessories, and packaging
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FEA proving the expected life aligns with our specifications
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The final product is being used as an example for the course moving forward, and it is displayed in the College of Engineering building!
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10 completed PVT units!
"I literally thought you bought this"
- User Tester 1
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"I'm not kidding, this is the happiest I've ever been"
- User Tester 2
FEA done in ANSYS Mechanical Workbench:
Top: deformation as keys are they are bent
Bottom: Stress on keys bent over the anchor bar
Four team members with 11 PVT units!
Posing with the display unit in the College of Engineering building!
The final presentation I created, which our group presented on the last day of class.