2016 – Various – Logging Tie Downs – Team 7
About This Project:
For the state of Maine logging has always been one of biggest resources for our economy. In 2012 Maine’s lumber was its top export accounting for $885 million dollars and 28.9% of all exports (Maine Woods Coalition). One problem facing this industry is the health of its workers and potential injuries on the job. Shoulder injuries are a big problem especially for the workers who are driving the logging trailers. To secure the logs drivers must throw 3” ratchet straps over the trailer which is causing shoulder injuries as well as other injuries during the winter months from slipping and falling while trying to throw these straps over. Our task is to find a better and safer way for them to get the straps over to prevent injury and save on the amount of time it takes to secure the straps.
Contact Us:
Email:met.team7@gmail.com
Phone:207-436-9948
Team 7 from Left to Right: Austin Dow-Smith Campbell Bennie Underwood, Brain O’leary, Adam Hall
Updates:
Semester 2:
Week 12-13: We have completed our build and have tested and modified our prototype such that it performs in the way it was designed. In addition to completing our prototype we have also been working on our presentation for our final presentation on Maine Day ( May 4th, 2016).This included taking pictures and videos of our prototype. The video below is a demonstration of our prototype in action.
Our presentation is at 11:30am in the Machine Tool Lab on the University of Maine campus. All of this years capstone presentations are open to the public and we are anticipating a fairly large crowd of spectators to all of this years capstone projects.
Week 8-11: Construction of our prototype has begun. We are currently in the final stages with all of our parts that required machining complete. Now all that is left is drilling a few holes so we can mount the throwing arm to the base. Once that is complete we will begin
Week 7-8: The remaining parts required to build our prototype have been ordered. Additionally we have begun machining and putting together components so we can begin testing.
Week 6: The parts we ordered arrived and we are preparing to machine the parts and start building our prototype.
week 3-5: We have completed the redesign of our device. To create our device we plan to use mostly machining, pre-purchased parts, and two parts will be 3D Printed using a Makerbot. As of 2/23/2016 we have ordered our first batch of materials so we can begin constructing and testing. Visit https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B87SzJnQX6P3cGVzMkh1eUtlRk0&usp=sharing to see a few prints of parts we are using on our project!
Week 1-2: Some big things have happened at the beginning of this semester. The first is that MEMIC (Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company) has agreed to help sponsor our project which is huge! The second big thing is we have entered the design stage in which we are creating a materials list so that materials can be ordered and prototype can be created. Our plan is to have our prototype completed by spring break so we can test how it works in the field and make any tweaks before Maine Day.
Semester 1:
Week 11-13:Began early calculations on how our solution is going to work and also began polishing our other content for Interim report #2.
Week 10: Met with Mr.Donald Burr from Madden Timberlands at Tim Horton’s in Old Town Maine to discuss Interim Report #1 and see what he thought about our 5 proposed designs. Through this conversation we were able to down select and began creating 3D models of our proposed solution with the suggestions Donald made.
Week 8-9: Began doing some research on potential sources to help us fund our project. Also began working on finding more statistics about how loggers are getting injured. If you’re interested in funding, donating, or hearing more about the project please contact austin.dowsmith@maine.edu
Week 6-7: Created some preliminary sketches of solutions along with fleshing out more thought out designs. Examples can be seen at https://goo.gl/photos/3zohkde7Q8imJJsW6
Week 4-5:Visited Madden Timberlands site and began brainstorming solutions to the problem. We also began compiling information for our first Interim Report.
Pictures from our visit available here:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8J5zvyetfYUUkRJQkxRaGh6OW8&usp=sharing
Week 1-3: Began doing some research about proposed topics. Once we were assigned our current project we worked on doing some literature reviews and getting ourselves acclimated to some of the safety precautions and other important topics in the logging industry.
Bios:
Austin Dow-Smith
Hometown: St.Agatha Maine
Austin is a Senior Mechanical Engineering Technology student at the University of Maine. Austin is interested in Design and Research and Development and has had opportunities to explore those interests through internships at places such as the Advanced Manufacturing Center, JSI Store fixtures, and the Foster Center for Student Innovation. In his free time he enjoys golfing, attending events with his brothers at Alpha Gamma Rho, making music, or doing graphic design and 3D design work.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austindowsmith
Adam Hall
Hometown: Washington Township, New Jersey
Adam is a Mechanical Engineering Technology student at the University of Maine. He is a Philadelphia area native that moved to Maine during High School. Adam is interested in the advancement of design and manufacturing of the transportation industry. This involves land, marine, and aerospace transportation. His favorite thing to do is to attend University of Maine men’s hockey games throughout the hockey season.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-hall/105/67a/b77
Campbell Bennie
Hometown: Watertown, Massachusetts
Campbell is a Senior Mechanical Engineering Technology student at the University of Maine. Campbell is interested in hands on work, and experiences. He has also been a mentor for a FIRST Robotics team for the past 4 years.
LinkeIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbellbennieunderwood
Brian O’Leary
Hometown: Scituate, Massachusetts
Brian is a senior pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a minor in Electrical Engineering Technology. He currently works as a multi-pitch rock climbing guide for Acadia Mountain Guides. Brian is interested in connecting his engineering degree with his passion for outdoor recreation and education. In his spare time he can be found whitewater kayaking or training for his next trip to big mountains. .