Group 13 - Kawasaki 1/2 in Electric Impact Wrench (12 V)

Revision as of 14:49, 8 October 2012

Project Management

Work Proposal

We plan on reverse engineering our product by simply using standard tools to disassemble it. Before we begin to disassemble the product, we will first analyze it to see how and where it should be taken apart. After looking and analyzing our product, it is clear that the only real tool that we will need to disassemble the product would be a screwdriver. The type of screwdriver that we will be using is a Phillips- head screwdriver. This type of screwdriver head has the same shape as the screw heads that are used to hold the power tool together. The disassembling process should not take much longer than twenty to thirty minutes. The disassembling process seems simple and there does not seem to be much within the product itself. This product disassembly process includes using tools to completely take apart the entire product and inspecting the parts found within the product to see how the product works. After initial inspection of the product, there does not seem to be any real challenges to taking the product apart.

After several discussions, my group and I have come to the conclusion that none of us know exactly how a power tool works. When we begin the disassembly process, we will not know what we will find inside. Aside from that we have no other shortcomings. Being engineering students, we are all intelligent and have common sense. We are all good at problem solving and we are good at working in groups.

Management Proposal

In order to stay organized and manage our group properly, we will evenly distribute the work load, and meet at least once per week (with more meetings if needed). As we have in the past, our once-weekly mandatory meeting will be held on Tuesdays at 3:30 in the Bert’s dining area (1st floor Talbert). Depending on the amount of time we have for the assignment, we will break up the weeks we meet into different subjects. We plan on having at least 3 meetings between assignments, which will be scheduled as following.

• Our first meeting will be strictly informative. In this meeting we will discuss exactly what is being asked for out of the assignment, and what we have learned in lecture that relates to the topic. We will then discuss how we plan on approaching the task at hand. This discussion will involve dates and times of extra meetings as we see fit, what research will need to be done prior to the final project, and specific individual assignments that will need to be completed prior to the next meeting.

• The next meeting will involve any hands-on work that needs to be done. Having all researched our specific topics as previously assigned, we should be well informed as to how we go about our task, what it is we are trying to accomplish, and the necessary steps to achieve this task. After doing whatever hands on work necessary, we will compile and discuss the information we obtained through our individual research. We will then assign specific parts of the assignment to be done by each group member. We will then assess the time needed to accomplish these assignments, and whether we need to meet again prior to our next scheduled meeting.

• In our final meeting we will compile all of our individual assignments, forming the final assignment. We will all evaluate this final project, and make minor changes as we see fit. When the entire group is satisfied with the finished product, we will assign someone to print or upload the assignment if necessary.

Group attendance to these meetings is essential. Without everyone’s contribution, the project will lack in quality, quantity, and accuracy. For this reason it is mandatory that every group member attend every meeting, unless there is a serious, legitimate excuse. If a member is not contributing their share, or consistently not attending meetings, a note will be made on the upcoming assignment making the professors aware of the situation.

Roles

Project Manager: Jesse Dewey

• Will be in charge of the material covered in meetings, insuring deadlines are met, and assignment is submitted complete and on time.

Technical Expert: CJ Tracey

• Will be in charge of learning about the product to have a relative understanding of how it works, and disassembly of the product

Communication Liaison: Dale Kawa

• Will be in charge of contacting group members about meetings, professor communication, and overall organization of project

Hardware Manager: Amadeus Astacio

• Will be in charge of holding the product, bringing it to every meeting and ensuring it does not get lost or damaged

Assistant Technical Expert: Jacobus Leroux

• Will assist the Technical Expert in learning about and disassembling the product

Product Archaeology

Development Profile

• This Kawasaki 841337 12v DC Impact Wrench received its copyright in 2010, and is distributed through Alltrade Tools LLC, a private company established in 1983 and based out of Long beach CA. It is produced and desgined by Kawasaki, a Japanese company that has its roots in motors, mainly motorcycles, who in the recent years branched out to include power tools and power lawn care products.
• This product was designed to be compact and reliable, for basic DIY (Do it Yourself) jobs that the average consumer would come across. Its main selling point is that it plugs into your vehicles 12v cigarette lighter, making it ideal for roadside emergencies. It’s grip was designed with a rubber coating, making sure your hold is secure and comfortable even in undesirable working conditions such as snow and rain. Since it was copyrighted in 2010, our economy was not doing so well and consumers needed affordable products they could count on for reliability and job performance.
• Since this product is sold through many online websites, it can be assed that it was distributed to a global market, in areas where the consumer can afford to purchase powertools, i.e. not poverty stricken. All of the products come with a standard 3 year limited home use warrenty designed to ensure proper product support in case of failure.

Usage Profile

• Impact Wrenches are power tools designed for speedy removal of lug nuts with minimal effort on the users behalf. Usually lug nuts are difficult to remove due to their necessary tightness, along with caked on rust and dirt. Normal removal consists on significant effort and leverage on the consumers part with a lever attached to a regular socket wrench. Impact Wrenches get rid of that by allowing for very high torque output with minimal exertion by the user, removing lug nuts in a matter of seconds with the simple pull of a trigger.
• This current impact wrench is geared towards home use, due to its relatively low torque output compared to professional grade wrenches and power source. Ours has a max torque output of 280 ft-lbs, professional grade wrenches have between 700-1200 ft-lbs. Additionally, impact wrenches are made to be plugged into a standard 120v outlet. Our product uses a variation designed, which allows it to be plugged into your cars outlet.

Energy Profile

• The Kawasaki Impact Wrench we were assigned uses a few different forms of energy, electrical, rotation, kinetic, human, and a small form of chemical energy. It starts out within the cars battery, where chemical reactions take place that allow for a discharge of electrical energy to be harnessed by the 12v outlet. Once the drill is connected to the outlet, the electrical energy powers the motor which turns it into kinetic and rotational energy by spinning the mass at a high velocity, impacting it onto the shaft turns the socket head. The only human energy required is the strength to hold it level and squeezing the trigger.

Complexity Profile

• From opening up the case, we can observe the components on the wrench itself, and additional ones that come as separate pieces. On the drill we can see the casing, the socket bit, the 3 way switch, and the power cord. Separate components include 2 safety fuses and 2 different socket heads. The components on the wrench don’t seem terribly complex as they are mainly for protection and grip. The most complex part on the wrench itself is probably the power cord, because it contains a removable fuses that allows for current to flow from the 12v port into the drill. Although the 3 way switch does had hidden complexity within the drill. It doesn’t really interact with the components on the outside, but under the casing it switches the motors gears to allow for both forward and reverse operation.
• Separate parts are very similar, with the 2 fuses having the most complexity, as they contain more components themselves. The 2 additional socket heads are solid steel , and have a different size on each end, allowing for versatility in the field.
• The only reactions from the components that we can see are the connection of the socket heads onto the bit, and the replacing of the fuses. While these aren’t that complicated, they are vital to successful and proper operation. We suspect that within the wrench there are much more complex parts and interactions taking place when operated.

Material Profile

• The impact wrench handle and body is made mostly of a heavy plastic and rubber. A rubber finger grip on the inside of the handle makes it easier to grip tightly. The socket bit on the end of the impact wrench is made out of some kind of metal, most likely steel.
• At the other end, the plug is made out of a hard plastic shell, with a metal conductor at the tip. The conductor is most likely made out of brass (a Copper and Zinc alloy). The chord is most likely made out of a copper wire, surrounded by a rubber casing.
• Without taking the impact wrench apart, we can only assume that the inside is also made out of some form of metal, plastic and rubber.

User Interaction Profile

Product Alternative Profile

• Hand Wrench
  • Advantages

1. Simple to use
2. Somewhat versatile

• Disadvantages

1. Can be extremely labor intensive
2. Time consuming
3. Not much torque for amount of work put in

• Socket Wrench
  • Advantages

1. Simple to use
2. Versatile
3. Less time consuming than a wrench

• Disadvantages

1. Can be labor intensive
2. Not much torque for amount of work put in

• These alternatives really don’t compare. An impact wrench has an unfathomable torque in comparison, is equally as versatile, and takes mere seconds to finish the job. Impact wrenches are made to save time and effort by taking out the physically intensive part of a wrench. In essence, there is little comparison.
• A cheap hand wrench set generally costs between $30-$60. A cheap socket wrench set averages between $40-$70. A cheap impact wrench set generally costs between $60-$70. The differences in cost are relatively small, with significant change in performance.