Project Planning/Gate 1

Project Management

This section will explain how we expect to dissect our Punisher Dart Gun. It will also discuss what we will need to dissect it, including tools, documentation devices and a work schedule. We will also describe the group members and their capabilities and weaknesses.

Work Proposal

Equipment

• Screw Drivers:

We expect that we will need multiple sized Philips Head Screw Drivers to dissect our product. We expect to find smaller screws on the internal components than on the outside holding the plastic covering together.

• Pry-Bar:

We will have a small pry-bar handy in case we come across any components that are snapped in place and cannot be easily pulled apart by hand.

• Needle-Nose Pliers:

We expect to find small parts inside of our product which will need to be disassembled.

• Camera:

We will have a camera handy at all steps of the dissection process so that we can document what we do as we do it. We will take stills of the product step-by-step from beginning to end. We will also take videos throughout as we dissect the Punisher to better show how different components were installed.

• Laptop:

We will record on the computer what we did in each step of the dissection process.

• Safety Glasses:

We will be wearing safety glasses at all times to insure our safety.

Procedure

1. We will begin by removing the breach (ammo box) by unsnapping it from the rest of the Punisher.

2. We will then unscrew all of the screws holding the outer shell together.

3. We will then remove the internal components as it becomes possible.

4. We will also dissect the ammo belt and ammo box.

• We are unsure of what exactly we will have to do as we have not yet seen how the inside of the Punisher is constructed and assembled.

Team Members -

Zac Seaver

Advantages

• Experience with hand tools

• Workshop at Home
• Flipped a House
• Finished Basement

• Management Experience

• Managed a Restaurant by the Age of 17

Disadvantages

• Presentation Skills are Sub-Par
• Need to Improve Technical Writing Skill
• No Previous Work with a Wiki Page

Max Reiser

Advantages

• Time Management
• Leadership Skills
• Worked in Construction
• Skillful with hands

Disadvantages

• Computer Programing
• Wiki Format
• Low tolerance with unproductive workers
• Gets angry with too much stress, short tempered

Ray Chamberlin

Advantages

• Productive problem solver
• Gives extra attention to detail
• Highly experienced with hand tools

• Worked in the family hardware store from an early age
• Took a construction/landscaping job over the summer

• Highly experienced with CAD and other computer drafting programs

• Took five years of CAD in high school
• Participated and won several interscholastic tech. competitions

Disadvantages

• Procrastinates
• Has a tendency to get caught up in the details
• Unfamiliar with wiki coding and technical writing

Andy Lotto

Advantages

• Highly experienced in working with tools.

• Took part in robotics competitions in which built robots from scratch.
• Took many hands on technology electives including Materials Processing & Advanced Materials Processing
• Crew member on racing team

• Works well in groups and on teams.

• Captain of robotics team, in charge of running the team.
• Good at taking charge and handling issues within the group
• Works as part of a multiple person pit crew

• Good at understanding how objects are assembled and how to take them apart

• Past experience of taking products apart

Disadvantages

• Technical writing

• Unfamiliar with Wiki

• Presentation
• Can get too caught up in the dissection and forget to record what is being done

Joe Corcoran

Advantages

• Good Technical Writing Skills

• Have written several long papers of all different categories and levels
• Strong attention to details and mechanics

• Can work with team well

• Been part of several sports teams and academic teams
• Been team leader for several projects and also captain of Varsity sports teams

• Can use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Matlab, C++, and Autocad

• Used Word and Excel for several years
• Took classes on Matlab, C++, and Autocad during freshman year at University at Buffalo

Dissadvantages

• Procrastination
• Not experienced in taking products apart
• Unfamiliar with solid modeling

• Never used any such programming

Management Proposal

Our plan is to meet in an open lounge in Griener every Sunday evening to assess what needs to be done during the week. The Project manager will take everything discussed at the meeting and come up with the week’s full planner. If further meeting is needed then he will set up a further meeting point on Monday or Wednesday following the lecture; all of the member of the team are free at this time. The dissection will take place in the 621` Furnas hall and the times will be later determined by the project manager and distributed by the communication liaison. Group conflicts will be solved by the communications liaison, if he is involved or cannot solve the issue then it will be brought to the project manager.

Roles-

Zac Seaver – Project Manager – zgseaver@buffalo.edu

Keeps team on task

Organizes times and places of meeting

Documents the process through pictures

Lead designer of the Wiki Page

Max Reiser - Lead Engineer – mcreiser@buffalo.edu

Guides the team through the dissection

Aides in the research and other areas

Ray Chamberlin – Research Manager –rcchambe@buffalo.edu

Does most of the research for the team and guides teammates through what research he needs help with

Andy Lotto – Technical Expert – arlotto@buffalo.edu

Main dissector during the lab

In charge of recording what steps what steps were taking in each step of the dissection

Joe Corcoran – Communication Liaison – jtcorcor@buffalo.edu

Keeps contact with all team members

Helps enforce plans made by project manager

Solves group conflicts should the need arise

Product Archeology

Development Profile:

The product was first developed and sold in 2010. The total public and private debt was $50.2 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2010, or 3.5 times GDP in the United States. In 2010 the economy was hit with a significant economic downturn making extra spending cash for toys uncommon. The product was designed for Western Culture, mostly the United States and Europe, and was created so that children can simulate the excitement of guns in a safe, harmless manor. The gun is designed with bright colors and obscure shapes so that it does not resemble, or encourage the use of real guns.

2010 Components of US debt, retrieved July 3, 2010

Usage profile:

The Buzz Bee Punisher Dart Blaster is intended for the entertainment of children ages five and up. Being able to fire 30 darts in 20 seconds, this motorized Nerf gun allows the buyer to get a realistic feel of a powerful yet long range gun. The Buzz Bee Punisher Dart Blaster is made so that anyone can use this product for entertainment in the home or outdoors.

Energy profile:

Chemical, electrical, and mechanical energy is used in the dart gun system. All energy that comes into the system comes from the 6 D batteries in the form of chemical energy. These batteries convert chemical energy into electrical energy, and the motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3709792

Complexity profile:

There are multiple motors, springs, gears, levers and electronics which make up the Buzz bee blaster. Breaking down each system, there are multiple motors which spin the barrels, feed the belt and load the spring of the Nerf gun. The electronics within this model like the battery pack, switches and electronic motors, will provide the necessary power to create motion in other motors. The springs which are powered by a motor, load the darts by compression and shoot the darts by expansion. Without gears in this system which change the speed of the motors and rotates the barrel, the firing process would not take place. The leaver or trigger combined with the use of electronics enables this Nerf gun to fire 30 bullets in 20 seconds.

Material profile:

When observed from the outside polyurethane foam material, and hard plastic can be seen. The darts are composed of the composite foam material, and the frame is made from the hard plastic. Inside the product there is likely metal screws, electrical wires, and the DC motor components. Each of these components can be broken down into smaller metal and plastic pieces.

http://www.museumstuff.com/learn/topics/Nerf::sub::Nerf_Material

User interaction profile:

Weighting 6.9 pounds the Punisher Dart Blaster is not the easiest to handle for younger children. Other than its weight the Punisher only requires a simple push of a button and then 30 bullets are fired in 20 seconds making this model easy to use. The only maintenance that is required would be to change the 6D batteries that power this gun. Minor breaks in its hard plastic can be fixed using duck tape while major damages like a breakage in the barrel may result in purchasing a new gun.

Product Alternative Profile:

The Punisher is just one of the many “toy” guns in society. Thus, there are many other products that are very similar to it and many have advantages and disadvantages when comparing it to the Punisher. Three examples of these toys include Air Soft guns, Paintball guns, and other Nerf guns.

Air Soft Guns:

• Advantages
  • Shoot ammo fast and have a large range
  • While still a toy, looks and feels like a real gun
  • Can hold a large amount of ammo and reload times are fairly quick
• Disadvantages
  • Need a large area to actually use in, as gun has long range
  • Pellets fired can actually break or damage property, so not safe for indoor use
  • Pellets can potentially hurt other people, especially in areas of bare skin
  • Guns are typically fairly expensive, and new ammo is also constantly needed

Paintball Guns:

• Advantages
  • Guns shoot ammo extremely fast
  • Can be used in a competitive setting
  • Feels like a real gun and can shoot extremely accurately.
• Disadvantages
  • Ammo/guns/equipment are all expensive
  • Can be potentially very dangerous, if precautions not taken
  • Needs to be used outside and in a designated area.

Nerf Guns

• Advantages
  • Safe to use indoors
  • Safe for kids to use and play with (ages 6+)
  • Guns range in price but most are not as expensive as other product alternatives
  • Ammo can continuously be reused
• Disadvantages
  • Guns do not shoot as fast or as far as other products
  • Does not give the feel of a real gun
  • Not as effective outside as the power will not efficiently overcome any outside elements (wind, precipitation, etc...)