Group 38 - Polaroid Camera

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(Difference between revisions)

Latest revision as of 18:43, 17 March 2009

Executive Summary

Disposable cameras are products that are supposed to be easy to use, functional, and portable so they can be used during travel. The Polaroid 35 mm disposable camera fits just that example. Easy to read instructions, and works just like any other camera.

We discovered through our endeavor that the disposable camera is made mostly of plastic parts, probably manufactured by injection molding. There were a few metal parts, some used for conductivity, some used for their stiffness and rigidity. Through disassembly we saw some mechanical devices that help store mechanical energy for use in the camera to take a picture. Other parts stored electrical energy for the flash of the camera. We discovered that most parts are likely made certain ways to cut costs of material with using as little as possible, and to cut down assembly costs by using parts that can be made quickly and cheaply.

Products like these are products that are usually well made for their use. Since it is disposable, the parts do not have to last that long, do not have to stand up to stresses like long term use products. As a result, we found that this disposable camera is very well made for its job, and is relatively easy to use. It's not unlike other disposable cameras, and allows one to take a camera while traveling.

Introduction

Group 38 Members and Tasks

Bryan Jones Presenter and Website Creator
Matthew Pavlovich Group Leader and Presenter
Matthew Tyler CAD Drawings
Jared Kuhl Assembly & Disassembly
Brian Senkiw Assembly & Disassembly
Nicole Bertrand Observations: Assembly & Disassembly

Product: 35 mm Disposable Polaroid Camera

A standard disposable flash capable camera. Hold flash button to charge flash until light on top of camera shows red. Wind dial on top right of camera until it stops. Preview the picture through the view finder, press down on picture button. Flash will go off, shutter will lift, and picture will be taken. Repeat process until all pictures are taken.

Energy Diagram

Below: This diagram describes the energy involved with the processes of the camera. All mechanical steps are in blue, while chemical electrical are in red. This represents how the products works.

Before Disassembly

Camera seems to be in good working condition. No parts on the exterior of the products appear to be broken. Evident that there are objects made of plastic, some glass in the flash, and cardboard around the outside.

Disassembly Procedure

Time: 30 Minutes

Disassembly Difficulty Levels

**Table 1**
Difficulty Level	Meaning
Very Easy	An average person would have little or no difficulty doing this task.
Easy	An average person would likely need some experience taking objects apart for this type of task to go smoothly.
Medium	An average person would need some mechanical experience, such as backing out extremely tightened screws in small places.
Hard	Not likely an average person could accomplish this task without breaking parts.
Very Hard	An average person would be incapable of preforming this task.

Disassembly Steps

**Table 2**
Step #	Process	Tools Used	Difficulty	Picture
1	Unfold the cardboard from each side of the camera & remove it.	None	Very Easy
2	Unscrew mini black screw from beneath the viewfinder.	Screwdriver	Easy
3	Remove bottom cap of film cover.	None	Very Easy
4	Remove front & back covers.	None	Easy
5	Remove the film from the film spindle.	None	Very Easy
6	Remove viewfinder & viewfinder holder by popping it out of the front cover.	None	Easy
7	Pop battery from the bottom of the interior body.	None	Very Easy
8	Unscrew 2 small screws from the circuit board itself.	Screwdriver	Medium
9	With end of a screwdriver lift up the metal battery terminal.	Screwdriver	Medium
10	Remove long silver part from interior body by lifting it up with a screwdriver.	Screwdriver	Medium
11	Lift up lens cap with screwdriver & lens & washer will fall out.	None	Medium
12	Lift up lens holder and camera shutter from spring.	None	Medium
13	Remove spring from interior body.	None	Medium
14	Pop off small brass pin from top of frame counter with the screwdriver.	Screwdriver	Medium
15	Lift up 2nd brass pin from film advance lock.	None	Medium
16	Lift up shutter lever.	None	Easy
17	Remove camshaft from top.	None	Easy
18	Slide out sprocket and spring out of slot on back of the interior body.	None	Easy	N
19	Remove the flash cover.	None	Easy
20	Unscrew circuit board and metal conductor	Screwdriver	Easy

After Disassembly

Bill of Materials

The table belows lists the Bill of Materials for the disposable camera:

**Disposable Camera Bill of Materials**
Part #	Part Name	#	Material	Reason of Material Used	Manufacturing Process
1	Interior Body	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, Easy to Manufacture	Injection Molding
2	Film Advance Gear	1	ABS Plastic	Very cheap, easy to produce	Injection Molding
3	Outside Cover	1	Thin Cardboard	Light and Cheap	Folding
4	Battery	1	Alkali Metals	Cheap materials	Machine Made
5	Circuit Board	1	Plastic, solder, capacitors, resistors	Conductive, cheap, sturdiness	Machined
6	Film Canister	1	ABS Plastic	To protect the film	Injection Molding
7	Flash Cover	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, easy to produce	Injection Molding
8	Viewfinder Holder	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap and easy to produce	Injection Molding
9	Viewfinder	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap and easy to produce	Injection Molding
10	Flash Cover Holder	1	ABS Plastic	Seals and insulates well after tightened	Injection Molding
11	Film Spindle	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease to manufacture	Injection Molding
12	Lens	1	ABS Plastic	Ease to manufacture, cheap	Injection Molding
13	Lens Holder	1	ABS Plastic	Ease to manufacture, cheap	Injection Molding
14	Screw	1	Unknown Metal	Cheap, solid material	Machining
15	Camera Shutter	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
16	Washer	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
17	Back Interior	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
18	Film Cover	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
19	Pins	2	Brass	Cheap, strength	Machining
20	Camshaft	1	ABS Plastic	Ease of manufacture, cheap	Injection Molding
21	Spring	1	ABS Plastic	Ease of manufacture, cheap	Injection Molding
22	Front Interior	1	ABS Plastic	Ease of manufacture, cheap	Injection Molding
23	Screws(2)	2	Metal	Cheap, strength	Molding
24	Flash Button Conductor	1	Metal	Cheap, Conductivity	Molding
25	Sprocket	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, Conductivity	Molding
26	Shutter Spring	1	Steel	Elasticity of Material	Die Casting
27	Circuit Board Brace	1	Metal	Cheap, strength	Die Casting
28	Lens Cap	1	ABS Plastic	Ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
29	Film Advance Lock	1	Metal	Cheap,rigidity	Stamping or Die Casting
30	Spring for Shutter Lever	1	Steel	Stiffness/Elasticity	Forming or Die Casting
31	Frame Counter	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding
32	Shutter Lever	1	ABS Plastic	Cheap, ease of manufacture	Injection Molding

CAD Assembly

As a group we felt the most intricate mechanical part was the winding and the shutter mechanism. It contains several springs, and gears that help store and transfer energy to move the film into position and snap open the shutter for a fraction of a second.

**Winding of the camera and Shutter Mechanism**
Part	Image	File
Full Assembly		No download available.
Full Assembly(2)		No download available.
Part		blackholder.prt.zip
Part		blackpin.prt.zip
Part		brassclip.prt.zip
Part		brasspin.prt.zip
Part		springclip.prt.zip
Part		counterwheel.prt.zip
Part		largeblackwheel.prt.zip
Part		smallblackwheel.prt.zip
Part		spring.asm.zip
Part		No download available.

Assembly Procedure

Assembly Difficulty Levels

**Table 1**
Difficulty Level	Meaning
Very Easy	An average person would have little or no difficulty doing this task.
Easy	An average person would likely need some experience taking objects apart for this type of task to go smoothly.
Medium	An average person would need some mechanical experience, such as backing out extremely tightened screws in small places.
Hard	Not likely an average person could accomplish this task without breaking parts.
Very Hard	An average person would be incapable of preforming this task.

Assembly Steps

**Table 2**
Step #	Process	Tools Used	Difficulty
1	Place white spring in sprocket.	None	Medium
2	Place sprocket into slot into the back of the interior body right over the lens holder.	None	Medium
3	The camshaft is placed in on the top which locks the sprocket in place.	None	Easy
4	Place spring for shutter lever on knob on camera.	None	Easy
5	Intertwine the film advance lock between camshaft and spring.	None	Medium
6	Push brass pin on top to hold it in place.	None	Hard
7	Put film advance gear on interior body.	None	Medium
8	Place Frame counter on top of the camshaft while overlapping the film advance gear.	Screwdriver	Medium
9	Push pin on top of frame counter to keep it in place.	Screwdriver	Medium
10	Place washer & lens to into the hold on the lens holder.	None	Medium
11	Snap lens cap over the lens & washer to hold it in place.	None	Medium
12	Put shutter spring & camera shutter on middle front of the interior body.	None	Hard
13	Put the lens holder over these two parts, lock it in place.	None	Medium
14	Slide in film spindle on the interior body and lock it in place.	None	Medium
15	Place circuit board on interior body, screw it into place.	Screwdriver	Medium
16	Insert battery into slot.	None	Very Easy
17	Slide film into place.	None	Easy
18	Attach back cover into place.	None	Easy
19	Lock in front cover.	None	Easy
20	Slide in bottom film cover.	None	Easy
21	Screw in last screw.	Screwdriver	easy

Post Assembly

Observations

When the camera is put back together the film now rattles around in the back since it is not wound around the camera like it was originally. This is completely normal for any disposable camera. We believe that the camera would work again if there was a way to rewind the film inside of the camera housing without exposing or ruining the film roll. However, this is quite difficult as a result of the film being wound inside the camera. Since it is a disposable, it is meant to be used once and not to be used again. Therefore there is no reason at all to make the camera capable of accepting new film easily.

Recommendations

Mirror on outside of Camera

We believe that placing a mirror on the outside of the camera near the lens would be an easy way to improve the product and attract more customers. A small mirror would allow those trying to take pictures of themselves to preview the picture before it was taken. This will cause the customer less frustration and allow them to take more accurate pictures. It is a minor improvement that is relatively cheap and would not require an extreme amount of engineering analysis to work into the product.

Removal of thumb grip

The thumb grip in and of itself is a very good idea. It complements the users grip and allows them to take steadier pictures. However, the thumb grip is actually covered by the cardboard on the outside of the camera. As a result the consumer cannot actually use the grip. However, it is believed that this type of exterior is used for several different models. It would make sense for Polaroid to not change the design because it would actually cost them more to re-engineer a new exterior. However, if the company actually wants a thumb grip, they should design a way for the cardboard to be cut so the thumb grip could be used.

Other

We have no other recommendations, since most of the product is plastic that can be reused over again.

Conclusion

This Polaroid 35 mm Disposable camera is extremely well made. It is durable, safe, efficient, portable, and most importantly disposable. We only had minor recommendations because the product is relatively simple. It does it's job, and it does it well.

Reverse engineering allowed us to learn a lot of the mechanical devices of a disposable camera, and how thing are designed to work together.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Executive Summary==
-The first objective of this project is to disassemble a 35 mm Polaroid disposable camera and to then reassemble the parts while reporting observations. Reverse engineering will be used to create CAD drawings to represent certain parts of the camera. All processes then will be discussed, and determined if they can be improved anyway. Additionally, the process of manufacturing and the materials of each part will be reported.
+Disposable cameras are products that are supposed to be easy to use, functional, and portable so they can be used during travel. The Polaroid 35 mm disposable camera fits just that example. Easy to read instructions, and works just like any other camera.
+We discovered through our endeavor that the disposable camera is made mostly of plastic parts, probably manufactured by injection molding. There were a few metal parts, some used for conductivity, some used for their stiffness and rigidity. Through disassembly we saw some mechanical devices that help store mechanical energy for use in the camera to take a picture. Other parts stored electrical energy for the flash of the camera. We discovered that most parts are likely made certain ways to cut costs of material with using as little as possible, and to cut down assembly costs by using parts that can be made quickly and cheaply.
+Products like these are products that are usually well made for their use. Since it is disposable, the parts do not have to last that long, do not have to stand up to stresses like long term use products. As a result, we found that this disposable camera is very well made for its job, and is relatively easy to use. It's not unlike other disposable cameras, and allows one to take a camera while traveling.
 == Introduction ==
@@ Line 24: / Line 27: @@
 Below: This diagram describes the energy involved with the processes of the camera. All mechanical steps are in blue, while chemical electrical are in red. This represents how the products works.
 [[Image:Energydiagram.jpg]]
+==Before Disassembly==
+Camera seems to be in good working condition. No parts on the exterior of the products appear to be broken. Evident that there are objects made of plastic, some glass in the flash, and cardboard around the outside.
+[[Image:DSCN0489.JPG |center|thumb|400px]]
 == Disassembly Procedure ==
@@ Line 453: / Line 461: @@
 ===CAD Assembly===
+As a group we felt the most intricate mechanical part was the winding and the shutter mechanism. It contains several springs, and gears that help store and transfer energy to move the film into position and snap open the shutter for a fraction of a second.
 {| border="1" align="center"
-|+ '''Table 1'''
+|+ '''Winding of the camera and Shutter Mechanism'''
-! width="100"|Part!! width="300"| Image !! width="100"| File !!
+! width="150"|Part!! width="100"| Image !! width="200"| File
 |-
 ! Full Assembly
-| [[Image:fullassembly6.jpg]]
+| [[Image:fullassembly6.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
 | No download available.
+|-
 ! Full Assembly(2)
-| [[Image:fullassembly3.jpg]]
+| [[Image:fullassembly3.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
 | No download available.
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:blackholder.jpg]]
+| [[Image:blackholder.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+|<!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[blackholder.prt.zip Contents|blackholder.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:blackpin.jpg]]
+| [[Image:blackpin.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[blackpin.prt.zip Contents|blackpin.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:brassclip.jpg]]
+| [[Image:brassclip.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[brassclip.prt.zip Contents|brassclip.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:brasspin.jpg]]
+| [[Image:brasspin.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[brasspin.prt.zip Contents|brasspin.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:springclip.jpg]]
+| [[Image:springclip.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[springclip.prt.zip Contents|springclip.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:counterwheel.jpg]]
+| [[Image:counterwheel.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[counterwheel.prt.zip Contents|counterwheel.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:largeblackwheel.jpg]]
+| [[Image:largeblackwheel.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[largeblackwheel.prt.zip Contents|largeblackwheel.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:smallblackwheel.jpg]]
+| [[Image:smallblackwheel.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[smallblackwheel.prt.zip Contents|smallblackwheel.prt.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:spring(2).jpg]]
+| [[Image:spring(2).jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
-| No download available.
+| <!--GICL Bot edit:-->[[spring.asm.zip Contents|spring.asm.zip]]
+|-
 ! Part
-| [[Image:spring.jpg]]
+| [[Image:spring.jpg|center|thumb|100px]]
 | No download available.
@@ Line 627: / Line 649: @@
 |-
 ! 20
-|align="center"|Lock in front cover.
+|align="center"|Slide in bottom film cover.
 | align="center"|None
 | align="center"|Easy
@@ Line 634: / Line 656: @@
 |align="center"|Screw in last screw.
 | align="center"|Screwdriver
-| align="center"|Slide in bottom film cover.
+| align="center"|easy
 |-
 |}
+==Post Assembly==
+===Observations===
+When the camera is put back together the film now rattles around in the back since it is not wound around the camera like it was originally. This is completely normal for any disposable camera. We believe that the camera would work again if there was a way to rewind the film inside of the camera housing without exposing or ruining the film roll. However, this is quite difficult as a result of the film being wound inside the camera. Since it is a disposable, it is meant to be used once and not to be used again. Therefore there is no reason at all to make the camera capable of accepting new film easily.
+===Recommendations===
+<b>Mirror on outside of Camera</b>
+[[Image:mirror.jpg]]
+We believe that placing a mirror on the outside of the camera near the lens would be an easy way to improve the product and attract more customers. A small mirror would allow those trying to take pictures of themselves to preview the picture before it was taken. This will cause the customer less frustration and allow them to take more accurate pictures. It is a minor improvement that is relatively cheap and would not require an extreme amount of engineering analysis  to work into the product.
+<b>Removal of thumb grip</b>
+[[Image:thumbgrip.jpg]]
+The thumb grip in and of itself is a very good idea. It complements the users grip and allows them to take steadier pictures. However, the thumb grip is actually covered by the cardboard on the outside of the camera. As a result the consumer cannot actually use the grip. However, it is believed that this type of exterior is used for several different models. It would make sense for Polaroid to not change the design because it would actually cost them more to re-engineer a new exterior. However, if the company actually wants a thumb grip, they should design a way for the cardboard to be cut so the thumb grip could be used.
+<b> Other </b>
+We have no other recommendations, since most of the product is plastic that can be reused over again.
+===Conclusion===
+This Polaroid 35 mm Disposable camera is extremely well made. It is durable, safe, efficient, portable, and most importantly disposable. We only had minor recommendations because the product is relatively simple. It does it's job, and it does it well.
+Reverse engineering allowed us to learn a lot of the mechanical devices of a disposable camera, and how thing are designed to work together.