Category: Fall 2020

This month, we finally have our Helping Handles being made! After finishing the final touches, we prepared engineering drawings for fabrication. We decided to choose 3DHubs over the UTD Machine Shop, as we found that the price would be halved by doing so.  We spent the remaining time in November beginning rough drafts for our instruction manuals and continuing testing of gripping solutions.

We received our 3D printed model of the final handle design, and determined that the changes we made to grip size and ergonomics were perfect, as the handle felt comfortable to hold. Although we can’t apply use it for true testing (as we only printed it to 30% infill), we believe that the residents of The Legacy Senior Communities will be pleased with the design.

Unfortunately, we will not receive the handles from 3DHubs until mid-December; however, once we receive them, we will begin testing our newest gripping solution idea: spray-applied PlastiDip. We will apply multiple, even coats, and then test how the grip feels while being firmly held . Then, we can determine if the PlastiDip alleviates  the temperature concern raised by the residents of The Legacy Senior Communities. When we decide on a final gripping solution, we will apply it to the other 4 handles, and then we can finally deliver them to The Legacy Senior Communities!

With the Helping Handles being delivered over winter break, we will begin providing routine maintenance to ensure the handles function properly and effectively. Moreover, next semester’s team can focus all of their energy on the Bus Lift portion of the project. Overall, this semester has been greatly beneficial for our team, and we have made great progress towards fulfilling the needs of The Legacy Senior Communities. We wish the best for The Legacy Senior Communities and future EPICS teams working with them on the Bus Lift!

We spent this month finalizing our handle design based on the feedback received from The Legacy Senior Communities and our classmates. As the initial prototype was returned earlier this month, we were able to manually gauge the size and comfort of the grip surface to anticipate necessary changes .

Firstly, we reduced the grip diameter of the handle as the general consensus was that it was slightly too large for comfort. We also reduced the size of the finger holes to allow for a more snug fit and to account for the reduction in grip diameter. We added some material in the transition between the grip and the mount to reduce stress concentrations. We also performed tolerancing to the finalized model to prepare for the fabrication package.

We also learned that the UTD Machine Shop is servicing minimal projects this semester, so we will almost certainly be able to have all the Helping Handles fabricated in November! As for the grip solution, we came to the conclusion that a 3D printed grip would make the gripping surface uncomfortably large. We plan to use the previously acquired grip tape to manually apply a grip once the handles are fabricated.

This month we also decided on the final material for the handle: High Strength Aluminum 7075. When compared to other alloys and metals, we found that this material would best suit the purpose of the helping handle. We have currently ordered enough Aluminum 7075 to construct 2-3 handles. We are holding off on ordering more material in an attempt to optimize our material consumption and preserve the budget for the Bus Lift.

Our goal going into November is to first perform stress analysis on our final handle design. Then we plan to 3D print a testing prototype while working on the fabrication package for the final Helping Handle design. Once we receive our Aluminum 7075 and send it with the completed fabrication package to the UTD Machine Shop, we can begin drafting instruction manuals and planning the delivery. We hope to have the handles delivered by the end of November!

This month we made good progress on the Helping Handle. Due to current circumstances, however, we are leaving the Busy Bus in the brainstorming stage as we finalize the design of the Helping Handle.

At the beginning of September, we reacquired the aluminum Helping Handle prototype from The Legacy Senior Communities and evaluated the feedback from the residents. One of the biggest remarks was the handle getting too hot to use in the summer heat.

To keep the handle from getting too hot, we ordered grip tape to prototype an insulating grip for the handle. Meanwhile, we created initial CAD models for a 3D printed handle grip that will cover the handle. Once finalized, the grip will allow residents of The Legacy Senior Communities to comfortably use the handles even in the heat of summer. Initial models of the Grip are shown below.

After meeting with Keith Atchison and Rivae Campo, we decided that the best material for the final Helping Handle is steel rather than aluminum. We also learned that we will be providing 5 total Helping Handles to The Legacy Senior Communities.

After losing a member of our team, we have merged with the Equest Portable Mounting Ramp Team. We took the few weeks we had in August to work out our new team roles and responsibilities and to learn more about Equest’s project.