In our recent project update, we had the valuable opportunity to attend a workshop titled “From College to Career – Success Tips for the New Engineer.” The event was a captivating blend of insightful advice and engaging stories, shared by an experienced Raytheon employee, who aimed to guide us towards success in the professional world. It was a fun and informative chat that left us feeling inspired and better prepared for our upcoming journey as engineers.

On the project front, we made significant strides in developing our heat-jacketed nozzle concept. We delved into the realm of ANSYS simulations, meticulously analyzing parameters like velocity, temperature, and heat flux, to ensure our design was not just innovative but also practical. These simulations are helping us fine-tune our concept for maximum efficiency.

In addition to our simulation work, we ventured into the realm of procurement this week. We contacted several companies, sending out emails inquiring about their ability to supply us with a heat exchanger that aligns with our project’s unique constraints. It’s an exciting phase as we move closer to turning our conceptual design into a tangible reality, and we can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.

During the previous week, our primary emphasis was on refining our drafts for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) – both the report and the presentation.

On Tuesday, we delivered a condensed version of our PDR Presentation to our colleagues, and we were pleased to receive valuable feedback, which we promptly integrated into our slides.

Additionally, we completed our PDR Report over the course of the week. This report encompassed the First Month Report, detailed functional architecture, decomposition, and an expanded concept generation. Before presenting this report with our liaisons in Jacksonville, we plan to seek approval from our coach.

In our recent efforts to create a product architecture, we’ve taken a significant step in understanding the intricacies of the system, focusing on the Lens Cooling and Waste Removal System. Our primary goal in this phase was to transition from a functional architecture to a tangible, physical representation, breaking the system into discrete elements while defining their interactions. This product architecture serves as a roadmap for system implementation and has provided valuable insights into how these components and subsystems collaborate seamlessly to achieve the system’s objectives.

Figure: A rough geometric layout of our design

Additionally, we’re currently refining our choices for tubing, insulation, internal heating elements, and attachment methods for the machine. Simultaneously, we’re actively working on a preliminary design report, which documents our decision-making process and project progress to date. As we prepare for the next phase, we’re gearing up to deliver a comprehensive presentation to our peers and engineering liaisons from Johnson and Johnson Vision. The feedback from these stakeholders will be instrumental in determining our project’s future direction as we move closer to shaping its design.

Hi everyone! PolarFlow Optics here!

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the preliminary design phase of our project for optimizing the Optoform 60 system. Our goal is to tackle the issue of ice buildup and noise within the system, which has been causing operational challenges. To address these concerns, we’ve developed two distinct design concepts. Let’s explore each one in more detail.

Design Concept #1: Double Wall Nozzle with Internal Heating Elements

This design concept proposes a double wall nozzle equipped with internal heating elements. This innovative approach aims to prevent ice formation within the nozzle, which is a critical area of concern.

Design Concept #2: Nozzle Insulation

This design concept suggests insulating the nozzle using materials like aerogels, layered metalized polyester sheets, or thermal barrier coatings. These materials are intended to delay or prevent ice buildup on the nozzle, extending the system’s operational efficiency.

Conclusion:
In the preliminary design phase of our project for optimizing the Optoform 60 system, we’ve explored two innovative design concepts to address ice buildup and noise issues. Each concept has its pros and cons, and further research and analysis are needed to determine the most effective solution. With the insights from our recent meeting and Dr. Butler’s recommendations, we are well-equipped to advance our design and work towards enhancing the system’s performance. Stay tuned for more updates on our project’s progress!

This week our team worked on creating a team name, team logo, and talking to Liaisons to get the necessary information to get started with the project.

Our team name is “PolarFlow Optics” which references the ultra cold air used in the manufacturing process and refer intraocular lenses, the final product of production.

About our logo:
The “O” in optics to look like an eye with a cooling flow coming off of the side of it. The logo is supposed to represent the small lathe with a diamond tip, similar to the machine we are trying to improve.