As the semester wraps up Ion Clad is happy to report a successful System Level Design Review (SLDR). Pictured above you can see much of our team along with Mason Ripper, our Liaison Engineer from Lithionics, after the completion of our presentation. Our team prepared long and hard for this day to secure the quality of this presentation and report and are proud to have completed it successfully.
Looking forward Ion Clad plans to get their ideas fully realized and tested in the next semester as to be able to provide a product of the highest quality by the end of the academic year. This will make sure all our mechanical, electrical, and safety designs work as intended.
This week was a packed week for team Ion Clad. Our focus centered on preparing for our SLDR peer review day which included work on the prototypes, electrical schematic and doing materials research, as well as adding to the PDS. We printed out the Batman prototype for SLDR. After SLDR we added more parts to the Batman belt prototype and worked more on the CAD model for the Robin prototype. We also conducted research on different styles of 3D printing (vertical vs horizontal) to see what would be most efficient and cost effective. We had a meeting with Lithionics and arranged for them to print multiple versions of the Robin prototype to see what would be most effective.
Our team will now transition from CAD development to 3D printing our first round of prototypes. After receiving valuable feedback from our coach, university faculty, and liaisons, we refined several aspects of our designs to improve user comfort and manufacturability of our prototypes. With these physical prototypes, the team will be able to validate previous assumptions and begin identifying any further design changes before more advanced versions are produced. Meanwhile, key electrical components that were ordered have started to arrive, and available hardware and wiring have been identified for use. This allows the team to use these components in combination these new prototypes to further test the limits of our current designs.
Prismatic cell battery enclosure design was adjusted so straps could be run through, ensuring the design is attached closer to the back.
As this is all happening, the team is also preparing for the SLDR report and peer review. All design revisions and updates are being documented, and material selections and other necessary evaluations are underway to validate design decisions further.
For our prototype inspection day , our team prepared a small presentation of two designs to demonstrate our proof of concept. The presentation was a more condensed version of what will be presented on SLDR, however , this presentation was more geared towards feedback instead of content. We wanted feedback from our judges on design considerations , failure points , scope creep , and overall improvement. Most judges loved our ideas and encouraged us to further pursue an interview with Disney/Universal . One of the biggest concerns we had for our design was heat dissapation. Our original idea utilized fans , however , we were concerned with power loss so we decided to cut those out. The judges encouraged us to make decisions based off of numbers and not just theory alone. The feedback from our judges were incredibly insightful and helped widen our view on possibilities for our project.
The Lithionics team has been making steady progress toward refining our battery housing design. Recently, we completed detailed 3D models of both housing concepts, which will serve as the foundation for upcoming finite element analysis (FEA) simulations and drop tests. These analyses will help us evaluate the structural integrity and durability of our designs under realistic conditions, ensuring safety and reliability in future iterations.
In addition to our digital modeling efforts, we’ve been preparing for Prototype Inspection Day. The team has constructed wearable prototypes to assess comfort, fit, and overall user experience. This hands-on testing phase will provide valuable feedback to guide further improvements and ensure that our final design not only performs well but also meets real-world user needs.
Stay tuned as we continue to develop and validate our designs—each step bringing us closer to a safe, efficient, and user-friendly energy solution.
With the PDR presentation and homecoming behind us, Ion Clad is looking forward to our next major milestone, prototype day. We presented several designs to Lithionics during the presentation, including both electrical architectures and mechanical designs. From the feedback we received, we have decided that we are going to develop two designs in parallel and see which one wins out in the end, based on testing we will do to determine which best fits our users’ needs.
Our first design will resemble a utility belt and be made up of several cylindrical batteries wrapped around the body. These batteries will be balanced by a BMS that will communicate power levels to the microcontroller, which will relay that information to the user.
The second design will be condensed around a single prismatic battery (which our sponsor Lithionics was happy to provide us during our presentation visit). Because there is only one battery, there is no need for a BMS to balance the system, so power levels and safety protections will be handled directly by the microcontroller.
Our team finalized its presentation at Lithionics and visited their headquarters for a design review. The feedback was clear and constructive. The company is aiming for a minimal, streamlined solution rather than anything bulky or overly artisanal. In response, we are pivoting from a backpack concept to a bandolier or clip on design that emphasizes comfort, discretion, and quick put on and take off. We are moving forward with two designs that use different battery types and structures so we can evaluate tradeoffs in energy density, thermal behavior, mass, cost , and ease of manufacturing. The visit included tours of engineering, manufacturing, and the new cell balancing facilities, and those insights are already informing our approach to packaging, safety, and assembly.
Next, we will refine the design, deepen modeling, and coordinate to keep production considerations a priority.
A Concept for the Energy Pack’s Wearability and Comfort
With the PDR presentation at Lithionics headquarters looming over the horizon, the team is preparing to ensure a successful presentation. This milestone marks a critical point in the project, where the team’s efforts in concept development and refinement will be evaluated by our client. This week leading up to the PDR has also been full of progress in concept generation and selection, building a stronger foundation for the final product.
Our preparation for the presentation has been strengthened by the invaluable advice and constructive feedback offered by our peers and coaches. Each round of feedback has pushed us to think more critically about how we present our ideas and refine our approaches for these kinds of projects. These insights have helped us address potential gaps early, ensuring a well-developed set of concepts at the PDR presentation.
While preparing for this milestone, the team has continued its process in expanding upon design concepts. The electrical team has developed a clear picture of the internal architecture and functional architecture of the device, and has started a preliminary Bill of Materials. Meanwhile, the mechanical team has been creating sketches for key components of the energy pack, including user interface features, comfort considerations, and heat dissipation strategies. The team will also be seeing firsthand the batteries produced by Lithionics to better visualize the scale and size constraints of this project.
In summary, this week has been full of preparation for the PDR presentation, with some advancements in concept generation. What makes this specific project unique is that instead of funneling toward a single design, our team will be presenting multiple concept options to the client, giving them the ability to select the path that best fits their vision.
This week, our team refined the content of our Preliminary Design Review (PDR) by finalizing our concept selection and systems architecture. As you can see in the diagram, we’ve now defined the electrical architecture for our battery pack. This has given our mechanical team a much clearer idea of the size and form factor needed for the housing.
The system’s core is the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), which includes the Battery Management System (BMS) and a microcontroller. The BMS ensures safe operation and monitors the battery’s state, while the microcontroller acts as the brain, controlling all of the other components. A Buck converter and LDO Voltage regulator provide stable power for the low-voltage electronics.
For safety and reliability, a Failure Detection subsystem with an accelerometer and temperature sensor feeds real-time data to the microcontroller. The system also includes a fuse for thermal runaway. The microcontroller manages the cooling system (fans and heat sinks) and user feedback through LEDs, a display, and an app.
While we’ve fully defined the overall design, the internal physical layout is still being refined. We’re still debating the best ways to orient the batteries, design the wiring, and create the opening and closing mechanisms. We’ll have a better understanding of what’s feasible as we order parts and begin prototyping.
Our team made exciting progress this week as we wrapped up the concept generation phase of our project. This step gave us the chance to explore many different directions and ultimately narrow in on what materials and design choices could shape the prototype and final model.
A big part of the discussion centered on comfort for the wearer. We looked at different attachment styles, weighing the pros and cons of each. While we aren’t able to interview potential end users at this stage in order to protect intellectual property, we’re finding creative ways to gather feedback by reaching out to individuals who could truly benefit from this technology.
On the technical side, we’re moving forward with decisions around materials, heat management, and battery design. We also explored possible layouts that focus on modularity, giving the design more flexibility as it develops.
To make sure our work is built on a solid foundation, we spent time digging deeper into existing patents and ASTM safety standards related to wearable batteries. This research not only informs our design but also ensures we’re aligning with the highest safety expectations for technology that will be worn close to the body.
All in all, this week brought us closer to turning early ideas into a clearer direction for the future prototype. We’re excited to keep the momentum going as we move toward detailed design and testing in the weeks ahead!
