Hello everyone, I’m happy to report that we successfully made it through Prototype Inspection Day (PID)!
For PID, we showcased the progress of our vacuum evaporation project with a rough prototype of 3D-printed parts and CAD models. We labeled these parts with a poster, explained their functions, and presented physical representations of each. With these devices, our team could adequately describe that the old vacuum evaporator is outdated, faulty, and has irreplaceable parts; then, we put forth our plan to completely redesign and build a new system for the FSHN lab.
Up to this point, EvapoGATOR has reverse-engineered the vacuum evaporation system and compiled a list of every necessary component for the new apparatus. With this list, we have broken the system into three main process units: the condenser, the evaporator, and the phase separator; a few other important parts include the frame, pressure relief valves, piping connections, and pressure gauges. The team broke these components up and individually researched designs, materials, and other technical specifications for each.
For PID, we were hoping to (and did) get meaningful feedback on a few components: the condenser, phase separator, and frame design. By explaining their functions and showing both digital and physical models of our proposed concepts, the team gave judges an opportunity to ask questions and give opinions on our designs. We are very grateful for all of the judges’ input because it gave us some considerations we had not thought of, and they offered helpful, professional insight into the next steps of our project.
From here, EvapoGATOR will solidify our design decisions and present them in the System Level Design Report (SLDR), due at the end of the semester. This report will contain everything we have done in this project up to this point. We plan on editing our Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with the addition of more information in previous sections, our prototype plan, and a solid strategy for completing this project next semester.
Below, I’m adding some pictures of a few new concepts we’re considering.
