Fourth Year | Semester 1&2
ValveGrab
Individual year project to design a product from start to finish, considering all aspects including research, user needs, concept development, engineering, prototyping, testing, manufacturing and final presentation.
Valve Grab was inspired by the difficulty of accessing industrial valves positioned high up or in awkward locations. Operators often need ladders or uncomfortable movements to reach them, creating unnecessary safety risks. Valve Grab solves this by allowing handwheel valves to be operated safely from the ground, reducing the need for ladders and making valve operation quicker and easier.
Design Process
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Sketch
Used a design matrix to quickly generate and compare different Valve Grab concepts before selecting the strongest ideas to develop.
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Prototype
Prototyped the design using 3D-printed parts and bought-in materials to test the fit, functionality and overall design before finalising the product.
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Testing
Tested the final 3D-printed parts alongside the electronics to ensure they fit together correctly and worked effectively as one system.
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Final
I used DfMA principles to improve manufacturability, assembly and reliability. I also considered material selection, part reduction and manufacturing methods to achieve a practical and efficient final model.
Final Product
The final Valve Grab is a compact, portable tool designed to operate valves from ground level. It is compatible with 50-64 mm handwheel diameters, transfers 9.87-16.0 Nm of torque, and attaches in 30-60 seconds. The final design also considered manufacturing cost, material pricing and logistics, ensuring the product could be realistically produced as a metal version using a combination of manufactured and bought-in components.
