CGT 326 PROJECT REQUIREMENTS S 20

Background:

The Animal Rescue League of Boston owns several

hospital baskets used to house feral cats while they are
waiting to be spayed or neutered. The baskets work,
but they have two problems that have allowed cats to
escape.

The first problem is that the bungee cords that come

with the baskets (shown in the image to the right, they
are the white “v” shaped objects at the top of the
picture) to hold the lids shut have been problematic;
the cords stretch over time allowing for the lid of the basket to gap enough for a cat to escape and have even
snapped and hit volunteers in the face. The ARL came up with a new latching system (which you will see on the
basket on campus) using standard parts found at a home improvement store, but these mechanisms can’t
always fully lock the lid, and can become unlatched after a persistent cat pushes on them.

The second problem, which is part of the problem with the latching of the lid, is that the lid easily warps. When
you look at the basket you can see that the lid is out of shape, which makes it hard to close the lid and even
harder to latch it and ensure that it remains shut.

Objectives:
The concepts covered during the semester are designed to give you building blocks that will enable you to

• annotate design details in CAD using best practices for a Model-based Definition
• use neutral data exchange formats to bring CAD models from more than 1 CAD package together in an
assembly
• use models of standard parts from standard parts catalogs
• document your solution in the form of a 3D PDF

Milestones:

Detailed information for each assignment can be found in the Project & Portfolio Information folder in Brightspace

• Assignment 1: 02/17 Concept Presentation

• Assignment 2: 03/09 First Design Iteration
• Assignment 3: 03/30 Documentation in a 3D PDF
• Assignment 4: 04/13 Video for ARL
• Assignment 5: 04/27 Final Design Iteration and Documentation
 CGT 326 PROJECT REQUIREMENTS S 20

General Requirements:
You will be provided with NX CAD geometry files that are a mockup of the assembled basket as purchased.
The models are not 100% accurate but they will suit our needs to document the solution in the final technical
document. The solution isn’t high precision engineering, but if you would like to modify the files to be more
precise you are welcome to.

You must:
• Use solid models from NX and at least one other CAD software (CATIA, Solidworks, Creo) to visually show
the new latch.
o Standard parts may be used. CAD files of those parts may be downloaded for use in your
documentation. Be sure to cite the source for these parts in your final report so they will know where to
purchase them.
• Use Saved View Orientations and 3D annotations to create a step by step “story” of the steps the reader
will follow. This information will be exported to a PDF and might include information such as
o key dimensions
o notes
• Use Anark CoreWorkstation to publish 3D PDF instructions
o We will cover this in class.
o This document will show the portions of the basket assembly involved with the latching solution you
come up with
o The document will list and identify each component. The PDF will highlight the component in the
viewer when the component name is selected. 3D Section views can be used if the parts are
impossible to see.
• Include a brief writeup (1-2 pages) introducing what the document is presenting, provide information on
required hardware or purchased parts and cite sources. Use the provided template.
• Integrate the 3D PDF pages with pages from the template used for the written portion of the report.
• Keep the solution affordable. The ARL is a non-profit that depends on donations so they do not have an
unlimited budget. Generally, try to keep the cost around $10 per latch, however they did say that if one
design was far superior to another and it cost $15 that would be preferred to a $10 mediocre solution.

! Do not use bungee cords for a solution – we know they don’t work.
You should also consider the source of the problem. Why are the lids hard to latch in the first place? Can something
be done to improve upon them?

And PLEASE GIVE THIS YOUR BEST EFFORT! If we can find a solution for them this will be *big*. There will be articles
published that will show the world what great students Purdue has! This is great to talk about on a job interview
and we’re doing some good in the world!

See each individual assignment for details for that portion.