Final Prototype and Evaluation

It's finally finished! My promotional MP3 speaker is complete, well as a prototype anyway, and it works! I have made a prototype bag too which would contain the speaker and be handed out at the train station to promote new high speed trains to commuters.

I have kept the bag simple and used strips of orange to match the design of the speaker. I am really happy with my final outcome. It has been a long and stressful process but it is so satisfying when everything comes together in the end.

The paint finish has worked really well and has completely disguised the fact that the speaker is made of lots and lots of flat pieces of plywood. I love the white and orange, it makes the product look modern and stylised, appealing to both sexes. 

Although I am happy with my design I think I could have saved time had I used the CNC machines. My final product may have been more precise which would have helped when joining the two sides together, however with the machines being unreliable I did the best that I could with the time that I had. I'm glad I took on a complex organic shape, I think I've done a good job at reflecting the train I chose from my research and the colours really compliment the final outcome. The assembly of the electronic components could have been better, maybe trying different ways to secure them inside the speaker, although this was always going to be a difficult task when working with a small complex shape. CAD has played a big part in this project. I probably spent too much time on this element but I think I have gained so much from using pro engineer for this project and can see it's value as a design and manufacture resource.

Finishing

I need to get a really good smooth finish before I can start painting, otherwise all of the ridges will still be visible in the final prototype. To achieve this finish I've had to use lots of wood filler and fine sandpaper. Doesn't look very pretty but hopefully it will all be worth it when I start spraying.

 I've had a small issue with the design. Originally it would come apart in two halves so that the user could change the battery. However, it would be easier to finish the speaker if it was a whole piece. Consequently, I've had to make a small cut out in the base to allow the battery to be changed. Not the easiest of tasks, and something which could have been done simply on the laser cutter when I originally made my slices. Nevermind.

I can finally see my design coming together! I've used a gloss white paint to match the train from my research. Each half will be joined together with a piece of vibrant orange acrylic in the centre and the same acrylic will be used for the speaker grill on the front.

Believe it or not, this tangled mess should hopefully make my speaker work. It has proved very difficult to solder all of the components together to fit in a small space. Luckily I made space for the circuit board and battery to rest in securely which helped a little.

Manufacture

I set up my designs in pro engineer to work on the CNC router. However, as luck would have it there were technical issues with the machines and it was looking unlikely that I would get on. With the deadline looming, I went with an alternative route. I have now sliced my design into 82 3mm slices of plywood using the laser cutter. A longer process but it meant I could get on with the work and start gluing my pieces together.

After hours and hours of gluing, I now have my final shape. I'm going to have to use some filler to get the smooth curves into my design as using the laser cutter has meant that these curves are currently made up out of a series of straight ridges. 

CAD

In Pro Engineer I've been able to model and alter my design. Starting with a basic cone shape I could add on other extrusions and shapes. Pro Engineer isn't easy but it is satisfying to see the model develop on screen. What was a sketch and a card model, is now starting to look more professional and realistic. 

Pro engineer has also helped me to test out the components against the dimensions I have given to my model through the assembly function. Hopefully this means that everything will fit in properly when I make it using CAM. 

Developing ideas

 

I have developed the curved nose design further so that the speaker is at the back. This allows for more space behind the speaker for better sound whilst providing a good space for the other components. I think I am going to use a gloss white and vibrant orange as my contrasting colours following the design of one of the trains from my initial research.

I have used my sketches to make a model out of card. Although it looks a bit scrappy it has been really helpful for me to visualise my idea in 3D and test that the components will all fit in place. Luckily, they do! 

Sketches

These are the ideas I have generated from my research. I am mostly inspired by the final idea with the curved nose shape and solid body. I would use wood for my main material as it is dense and will produce a better sound for my MP3 speaker.

Research and Specification

From the above research I have come up with the following specification.

Specification

Bold contrasting colours

Clean simple curves

Small, compact and portable

Hard wearing, made from durable material

Space within speaker to help amplify sound

Provide access to the battery

The Brief

Pump up the volume

‘MP3 players are very popular and are ideally suited for individual listening. Sometimes however it is useful to amplify sound so that the device can be listened to without the restriction of headphones or a small group of people can listen to it together.’

The above is a typical context taken from a GCSE Short Course specification. Your task is to design and manufacture a prototype product in response to this context that incorporates the given amplifier circuit. CAD/CAM is to be used extensively in the development of your prototype. This will be a corporate 'freebie' used to promote a high speed commuter rail network.