12.7 Conclusions and Future Work

Conclusions

Our mechanism accomplished its desired goal which was to adjust the height of a laptop stand. While there were many challenges faced as well as time constraints, the group was able to come together to create a mechanism that achieves the intended purpose and attacks the initial problem of uncomfortable desk heights. 

Future Work

In the future, we would like to make the desk stand to be less bulky as it seems to be overly large for its intended purpose. As well, we would like to make the vertical wooden parts either shorter or placed at a different location because it makes the stand difficult to use as they are in the way of the user. Besides that, improving the motion will always be a problem that can be tackled. 

Lessons Learned

Throughout this project, we learned the importance of time management. Starting the brainstorming process to move onto the prototyping phase as quickly as possible makes adjustment time significantly better. As well, we faced issues regarding gear ratios to power the motion of the mechanism as we could only find 20 tooth bevel gears that house an 8 mm rod within the intended time frame. This, along with using a 9V battery for a 12V motor made our motion not as smooth and created more of a struggle against the weight of something to the top. Therefore, in the future we would focus on these smaller details more in depth and do more iterations of a prototype. 

Tips for Future Groups

This biggest tip for groups would be to start early with the project. This does not mean just brainstorming, but getting into TIW and producing parts to test as quickly as possible. Just because a design works in CAD does not mean that it will work perfectly as a 3D printer and laser cutting tolerance can be difficult to predict. Therefore, getting started on creating parts early allows for adjustments to be made and a better final project to be produced. 

The final tip would be to document the whole process of the project. Whether it is wiring or how your parts have been printed, each picture is not only helpful to look back upon, but it makes the final report much easier to write. 

Acknowledgements 

We would like to thank and acknowledge all of the TIW employees who were willing to help us throughout the process of our build. They not only provided valuable advice, but were always understanding of the importance of this project. 

As well we would like to thank the TAs for being available to aid us throughout the process and answer any questions we had.