ME 234 Design Proposal

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Health and Safety Problems Caused By DIY Projects in the Home

DIY- Group 7

Chelsea Cotton

Prince Obinma

Jon-Eric Cook

Kelvin Lei

11/17/11

ME 234



Introduction

Imagine working in a garage, cutting and sanding wood. These are common actions that people

who work on home improvement projects do. One pain that we all know about working with

wood is the inevitable amount of filth and debris that results. Cutting and sanding results in the

fine wood chippings and saw dust that land on the ground and linger in the air that you breathe.

A regular shop vacuum can only do so much, such as cleaning up what is on the floor or on the

table, but does nothing about debris that is in the air. This airborne debris is harmful for the

person working and eventually tends to drift away from the work space into other rooms of the

house, leaving a fine layer of dust on everything.

One possible solution to this problem would be a system that would have both the functions of a

standard shop vacuum as well as an air filtration system. Such a product will help promote a

clean working environment and a healthier workspace for the customer with the added

convenience of having both systems in one.

Market

The market of our product is comprised of individuals, both men and women, who work on

projects that focus on house, shop or garage improvements. Their motivation can range from

saving money buy doing work themselves, or just getting enjoyment out of working on projectsaround the house.

According to www.understandingthemarket.com, there are around 125 million homes in the

United States. Within these homes approximately ¼ of the residents would prefer to undertake

home improvement projects themselves rather than hire outside help. These people are often

trying to save money by improving their home or doing repairs themselves. This demographic is

not likely to hire house cleaning services so they need a cleaning solution that is inexpensive

and efficient.

According to www.quickfacts.census.gov, there were 129,969,653 housing units in the year

2009. Almost every homeowner owns some sort of vacuum cleaner whether it is a shop vacuum

or a basic upright. While air filtration systems are commonplace in industrial shops where health

and safety standards are in place, very few homeowners own one unless they have a



preexisting respiratory condition. At www.ibisworld.com, it was stated that home improvement

stores in the U.S.A. generate a revenue of approximately $150,000 and a little under 25% of

product/services shares are attributed to tools, equipment, paint and flooring. This is a large

market with a lot of room for growth.

Needs

Home improvement projects expend lots of time, energy and materials. These lengthy and

strenuous projects often result in a variety of messes, including airborne particles and floor

scraps. Small floor scraps can be cleaned with any vacuum cleaner, but some can’t handle such

a variety of heavy duty messes. Shop vacuums are sufficient for picking up floor scraps, but

most projects result with a large production of airborne particles. Processes such as sanding

wood, preparing concrete, and grinding metal fill the air with debris that shop vacuums aren’t

able to handle. Using a shop vacuum to clean the air is very impractical. It is using the device in

a way that it was not designed for, creating results which are not desirable. Since the shop

vacuum may not even pick up the particles in the air, it will just move around dust and other

debris, making the breathing conditions in a room even worse.

Sufficient ventilation is not always possible for those who choose to do the work themselves,

which is overlooking a very important safety necessity. Airborne particles can be even more

dangerous than other debris, depending on the project. Not all project scenarios allow foraccess to fresh air, and purification can be very expensive. Our product will take important

concepts from shop vacuums and air purifiers to create one superior product.

Problem Description

Many tools and processes used in home

improvement projects create dust and debris. For

example, sanding, polishing, cement mixing, andplastering all can produce airborne particles that

can be a health hazard. In industrial shops safety

standards, such as OSHA, require proper

ventilation and air filtration in environments where

these types of tools are used. This prevents the

Figure 1: An example of the dust and debris left

after completing a home improvement project.



employees from inhaling any hazardous materials that result

from their work. Often times, when people work on projects in

their own homes they overlook these important safety measures

that are in place in an industrial shop. Home improvement

projects that involve excessive cutting and sanding or concrete

mixing can pose the same health risks as they would in an

industrial setting. Many people are unaware of this health

hazard or are unsure how to prevent it.

Anyone who works on projects in the home will likely own a

vacuum because in addition to airborne messes, projects and

the tools used to complete them create messes on surfaces

such as counters and the floor that are more apparent than the

airborne particles. The use of a vacuum takes care of a portion

of the problem but not all of it.

While most home owners that work on large scale home improvement projects own

some sort of a shop vacuum very few own an air filtration system for their work area. This is

often due to the cost of an extra piece of equipment. It is also difficult to transport an additional

heavy piece of equipment to the project site. In some cases the reason why the home owner

does not own an air filtration system is because they are unaware that it is necessary to use one

while working on messy projects.

An system is needed that will both vacuum up the mess that is left behind on surfaces

from tools and projects as well as remove any dust in the air that the project creates. This

system will both serve as a tool to clean up messes that home improvement projects create,

and also keep the user safe from airborne particles produced by their tools. It will also cut down

on the cost of buying two separate systems as well as reduce the number of items that are

required to transport to the project site.

Objectives and Constraints

The purpose of this list is that it will serve as a criterion for the design of our product.

This list was developed by comparing factors that were found to be the most important for the

customer. First off, the price of the product should not exceed $280. This price cap was chosen

Figure 2: A standard shop vacuum

that is currently on the market.



because a decent shop vacuum and an average shop air filtration system each cost about $130.

Therefore, having the functions of the two pieces of equipment in one unit is similar to adding

the two prices together, about $260. We believe that it is not necessary for the price of our

product to be significantly cheaper than $260 because the benefit of having a two-in-one is

worth the price already. With that said, we will still try to keep the price of the product to the

lowest as possible. In terms of weight, our product should not exceed 30lbs, which is an

average weight for a regular sized shop vacuum. Our customers need to be able to operate our

product as easily as a regular shop vacuum. Therefore, a lighter product would definitely be

more ideal.

Our customer needs to be able to replace any parts on our product when necessary.

Therefore, the components of the product should be easy to access. Like most hardware

equipment, our product needs to be electrically powered and compatible with the normal wall

outlet voltage of 120 V. We set this constraint because some hardware equipment requires

more voltage than the average household wall outlet supply. It also needs to have an electrical

cord that is at least 20 ft. A couple more components that our product should also come with are

wheels, hose attachments, and a muffler.

Ideation

One quick and dynamic brainstorming method we used is the random verb generator.

The verbs were random in a sense that they did not have any correlation to each other but theywere all relevant to some degree with our product. Our product is along the line of a vacuum

and an air filter system and some of the verbs that were generated are suck, clean, filtrate,

protects and etc. We approached this method by having one person type on the computer while

the other group members thought of verbs and spoke out loud. We came up with a list of about

50 verbs. Also, the group member who was typing came up with a good amount of verbs

himself. We all found this verb generator method to be very helpful and fun. It was helpful in a

sense that it gave us ideas of additional functions that we can add onto our product. For

example, “interchange” was one of our verbs and from that verb we came up with the idea of having upgradeable parts that customers can purchase so as to better suit their projects and

activities.

The morphological logical attributes list was used as a brain storming activity. We, as a

group, quickly blurted out ideas and wrote them down on a giant piece of paper. This list, of



about over fifty ideas, was categorized into five columns. These five columns consisted of

shape, material, market, method of use, and size. We found this technique for brainstorming to

be very beneficial to our idea generation for we were able to come up with multiple, reasonably

valid ideas for our design. I, as a participant, really liked the non-judging feeling that came with

the quick on your toes idea generation of this method of brainstorming. I will admit a few of the

ideas were a bit goofy and out of the ordinary but I think this made it feel free and open to say

anything. In closing, this method of brainstorming was, in my opinion, relatively successful in

allowing us, as a team, to spread our design wings and get really creative with all the aspects of

a design.

The first idea that was generated from this brainstorming method was a steal,

cylindrically shaped, relatively large sized vacuum that is used to suck up waste products and

that is used by DIY. Now comparing this design to the original needs that we agreed

upon…needs to be under $250, can be easily assembled, easy to use, and relatively safe…this

new idea does measure up by serving the purpose of being a shop vac that does suck up

waste, have it be mud or water. This new idea is a plausible one for our design because it also

is easy to design. The frame construction is one piece so the only assembly would be attaching

the motor and hoses. The pricing on this new idea would be around $250 and the majority of the

cost would come from the internal components.

An idea was a bullet shaped, plastic device. It is small enough to be wall mounted, andperfect for use in a laboratory. This idea met most of our requirements by being small enough to

lower cost, operating perfectly safe manner, and being easy to assemble. The initial flaw we

saw with this design would be ease of use. It is easy to use this design in the room it is mounted

in, but becomes a hassle when needed in another room. It would become tedious to switch

between functions when working in another room, and would not be low enough in cost to

warrant buying multiple units. However, a remote control would be sufficient in commanding the

unit’s different functions from a distance, in conjunction with an extensive and retractable hose.

One product that we came up with is a vacuum/air filtration system with the combination

of having a parallelogram shape, made of titanium, being a large backpack, and can scrub. The

parallelogram shape can give this product more aesthetics points since most shop vacuums and

air filtration systems on the market have a pretty round non-aggressive look. Our product will be

made of titanium or at least have some parts of it composed of titanium. Its lightness and



durability is ideal for the purposes of this vacuum. It needs to be light since it is going to be worn

as a back pack and durable since it’s going to be in an environment where a lot of construction

related activities are present. Having the vacuum worn as a backpack is going to be helpful

since it will be easier to maneuver compared to a shop vacuum which is conventionally pushed

or pulled and the air filtration on the system will always be close to the person who is wearing it.

Adding a scrubbing capability on our vacuum system would be beneficial too. This could be

added on by having adjustable head attachments to the tubes.

Decision Matrix

Table I: Decision Matrix

Backpack Vacuum Dome Vacuum Cylinder Vacuum

Datum: Owningboth an Air Purifi

and a VacuumWeightingFactor Rating

WtdRating Rating

WtdRating Rating

WtdRating Rating

WtdRating

Cost 3 0 0 1 3 -1 -3 0

Operation 5 0 0 -1 -5 -1 -5 0

Appearance 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 0

Safety 5 -1 -5 0 0 0 0 0

Reliability 4 1 4 1 4 0 0 0

Weight 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 0

4 7 -3

Our final product has changed a lot since the last time we did a decision matrix. The

original product that we came up with, using the design matrix, is a dome-shaped plastic

vacuum that is mounted on the wall. The vacuum would be mounted on the wall permanently

and it would have a retractable hose. Also, it would have the ability to vacuum particles and filter

air debris. Some of the features from this original idea carried over to our final design. They are

the use of plastic as the main material of the product, the dome shape and the ability to vacuum

and filter air. Our final product is unlike our original decision matrix idea mainly because it is notgoing to be wall mounted and it will not have a retractable hose. Ideas that were put on the final

design and were not considered when using the decision matrix are the use of supports to hold

the air filter head attachment, the use of a universal 5 gallon bucket, a 20 feet long power cord,

and the use of wheels to move the vacuum around.



Detailed Design

Figure 3: Final design sketch with numbered components

Features:

1. Large Air Filter Attachment

2. Handle for ease of use

3. Adjustable Support Rods

4. Tall Handle for ease of use

5. Control Panel with On/Off Switch and adjustable Suction Speed

6. Exiting Air

7. 20 Foot long power cord

8. Vacuuming Hose



9. Universal 5 Gallon Paint Bucket

10. Attachable bottom bucket stand with wheels

11. Vacuum Head Attachments

Design Considerations

Design Factors:

The main factors that were taken into consideration during the design process were cost,

operation, appearance, safety, reliability, and weight. We determined that safety and operation

were the most important factors followed by reliability and cost.

The vacuum system is simple to operate with a switch that toggles between vacuum and

air filter modes. The canister is made out of a standard five gallon bucket that the vacuum head

attaches to. This allows the user to switch canisters in the middle of a project when it gets full,

filling up as many buckets as needed to finish the project. It is light enough to move from room

to room in a house by an average adult without causing strain. The vacuum motor shuts off

when the canister is open to prevent injury from the fan or motor. The vacuum cost is similar to

the cost of a regular shop vacuum without an air filter. The addition of the air filter adds value to

the product.

Bill of Materials:

Air Filter Attachment $15.53

Pull Handle $2.72

Adjustable Support Rods $16.81

Extended Handle $3.36

Control Panel $21.02

Air Vent $14.88

Power Cord $21.92

Paint Bucket $4.81

Bucket Stand with

Wheels $18.45

Vacuum Head

Attachments $10.71

Motor $29.75

Total: 159.96



Air Filter Attachment Design:

Figure 4: Air filter attachment cross section.

The original design for the air filter head attachment was to have a square cross-

sectional nozzle that has the same diameter as the attachment hose (2.5 inches) so as to be

attached to the hose and a larger diameter (12 inches) on the other end, which faces the open

air. A prototype was made to test this theoretical design. After testing the prototype, we realized

it failed to meet our expectation. We expected the air filter attachment to vacuum up all

surrounding air debris that is within at least 1ft of the opening of the attachment. Instead, the air

debris particles had to be extremely close to the inside of the air filter attachment to even be

vacuumed. The problem with this original design is that mass flow rate through the hose and the

air filter is constant and that the air speed is extremely slow at the opening of the air filter

compared to the air speed in the hose because of the difference in their surface area. We can

assume that the vacuuming strength is proportional to the air speed and this is the reason why

the prototype air filter had weak vacuuming strength and did not meet our expectation. Our



solution to this problem is to increase the air speed at the opening end of the air filter

attachment. To do this, we will have a plug attached to the opening end of the air filter so that

only a 1 in. margin around the plug will be the vacuuming surface area. By doing this we will still

be able to vacuum the same projected air volume in front of the air filter such as the prototype

but the air speed or vacuuming strength will be greater.

Conclusion

It is apparent that there is a need in the market for a simple way to both vacuum and filter the air

during and after a project is completed. A possible solution to this problem is a two in one

system that is within a homeowner’s limited budget. This system would allow the user to easily

clean up messes created while working on home improvement projects as well as address the

safety issues that arise when debris from processes used throughout the project become

airborne.



References

State and County QuickFacts . Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html>.

Understanding the Market . Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.understandingthemarket.com>.

Market Research Reports & Analysis | IBISWorld US . Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

<http://www.ibisworld.com/>.

Shop-Vac® Brand. The Original Wet/Dry Vac™ . Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://shopvac.com>.

"Wet Dry Vac Reviews | Best Wet Dry Vacs." Product Reviews and Reports –

ConsumerSearch.com . Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

<http://www.consumersearch.com/wet-dry-vacs>.

ME 234 Design Proposal

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