Design Project 1

Engineering Design 100 Section 202 Team 4

Spring-Loaded
Scissor Cart
The Pennsylvania State University

Submitted by:
Michael Hand, Zach Neff, Nailah Oliver & Megan Tessmer
27 July 2017

Submitted to:
Dr. Xinli Wu PhD P.E.
 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 1

Abstract (Nailah Oliver)

Team four outlined six possible designs for a folding shopping cart and assessed which

ones best met selection criteria. Of the three best designs, the spring-loaded scissor cart was

chosen. A consumer report was conducted, analyzing which features should be included, and a

prototype at a 1:2 scale was constructed.

Table of Contents (Nailah Oliver)

Introduction (Nailah Oliver)...2

Description of Design Task (Zach Neff)2

Gantt Chart.3

Customer Needs Assessment.4

Concept Generation5

First Design Matrix7

Final Design Matrix.. 9

Final Design Images (Michael Hand)10

Features and Operation Instructions..11

Working Mechanism.11

Cost Analysis15

Conclusion (Megan Tessmer) ......................16

Acknowledgement....17

References18
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Introduction (Nailah Oliver)

The Engineering Design 100 class was separated into seven teams, each assigned to

design and prototype a folding shopping cart. The folding shopping cart was instructed to be easy

to use, compact, unique, cost $50 or less and have a minimum weight capacity of 100 lbs. Team

4 comprised a list of different styles of folding shopping carts: the standard wire frame folding

shopping cart, an inward folding plastic crate, stair-climbing cart, expandable backpack,

extendable front-section cart, and a spring-loaded scissor cart. The shopping cart should be

catered towards people without cars or those who need to carry groceries further than a garage.

The design will be evaluated based on: meeting specifications, its creativity, clearly expressed

working mechanism/operation instruction, its ease of operation, safety and cost efficiency. Each

design is to be assessed based on a list of selection criteria to determine which cart has the

overall greatest features.

Description of Design Task (Zach Neff)

Problem Statement (Nailah Oliver):

Individuals of all ages without cars need a way to transport goods from the store to their

homes, whether tall apartment buildings, small living spaces, or any other type of home.

Mission Statement (Zachary Neff):

We will create a safe, portable, compact device to assist individuals with their shopping

needs.

Design Specification:

The folding shopping cart should be easy to use (and assemble, if required).

The folding shopping cart should be ideal for transporting groceries and some

other materials.
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The folding shopping cart should fold compactly for easy storage.

The material cost for the folding shopping cart should not exceed $50 unless it

can be justified.

The folding shopping cart should have a weight capacity of 100 lbs.

Design Approach

Table 1 (Zachary Neff): Gantt chart

June 29th, 2017 July 3rd, 2017 July, 6th, 2017 July 10th, 2017 July 13th, 2017 July 17th, 2017 July 19th, 2017 July 20th,2017
Identify Needs
Target Specification
Information Gathering
Problem Statement

Concept and Generation and Selection

Brainstorming
Design Matrix
Design Drawing

Revisions
Editing

Prototype
Design Evaluation and Testing
Construction

Present
Project Reports
Oral Presentation
 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 4

Customer Needs Assessment (Nailah Oliver):

How much do you spend at the grocery store on a normal trip?

$150-200 $5 $150-200 $50-75

$70 $130 $200 $325-350

$50-100 $40 $150 $30

$100-150 $100 $150 $100-125

$50-$75 $250 $50 $35-50

$200-250 $70-100 $30-40 $65-100

$240 $150-200 $75 $70-100

What type of items do you buy?

o Expensive (protein shakes, almond milk, etc.)

o Food, toilet paper, cleaning supplies
o Eggs, cheese, fruit, veggies, chips
o Standard groceries, inexpensive
o Meat, vegetables, dairy, grains
o Meat, fruit
Do you use your own shopping cart, if not, would you?

Yes No

1 10
o Main reason for no was it wouldnt fit in the car.

How many bags, on average, usually end up in your cart?

9 1 5 6

5 2 10+ 2

4 20 6 10

10 2 7 5

10 6
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How much would you spend on a folding shopping cart?

$20 $50 $30 $50

$20-30 $20 $25

What features would you like on a folding shopping cart?

o Cup holders
o A section to put a purse/wallet
o A flap or cover for my content so its safe from the elements
o For it to not have massive, gaping holes between the wires like the ones we sell
at wegs
o A spot for purse or drinks
o Awesome wheels
o Cup holder and pocketbook hook
o Cup holder, bag compartment, sturdy wheels, able to connect to another basket or
child carrier/booster seat
o Wagon design and a top for bad weather
o Bigger wheels and a better handle
o Collapses/open with the touch of one button
o Being able to carry it to the store more easily
o Baby carrier
o Slot for your cane
o Cupholder and a hook for my purse

Concept Generation (Zach Neff)

Pictured below, Figure (D). On the left is Figure (C).

Megan Tessmer
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The image below is Figure (B) Nailah Oliver

Figure F. Mike Hand

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Figure E, Zachary Neff

First Design Matrix (Zachary, Mike, Nailah, Magan):

Wire frame folding shopping cart (ref) A

Inward folding plastic crate cart B

Stair climbing folding cart - C

Expandable backpack with folding wheels -D

Wireframe folding cart with extendable front sections E

Spring Loaded Scissor Cart - F

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CONCEPTS

Selection Criteria A B C D E F

Durability 0 - 0 - 0 0

Reliability 0 - 0 0 - -

Safety 0 + + + 0 -

Compressibility 0 0 - 0 - +

Ease of Use 0 + + + + +

Cost Efficient 0 + - - - -

Unique 0 0 + + + +

Maneuverability 0 0 - 0 0 +

Totals

0's 8 3 0 3 3 1

+'s 0 3 3 3 2 4

-'s 0 2 5 2 3 3

Net Score 0 1 0 1 -1 1

Rank 2 1 2 1 3 1

Continue No(A) Ye (B) Combine(C) Combine(D) No(E) Yes(F)

 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 9

Final Design Matrix (Zachary, Mike, Nailah, Megan):

CONCEPTS NOTE:
Inward Plastic Crate (B)
R = Rating
Stair climbing backpack (C+D)
W = Weight
Spring-loaded scissor cart (F)

B CD F

Selection Criteria Weight (%) R W R W R W

Durability 16 1 0.16 3 0.48 3 0.48

Reliability 18 2 0.36 3 0.54 2 0.36

Safety 6 4 0.24 5 0.3 2 0.12

Compressibility 12 3 0.36 2 0.24 4 0.48

Ease of Use 20 5 1 3 0.6 5 1

Cost Efficient 15 4 0.6 1 0.15 2 0.3

Unique 5 3 0.15 5 0.25 4 0.2

Maneuverability 8 3 0.24 5 0.4 4 0.32

Totals 100 3.11 2.96 3.26

Winner = Spring-loaded scissor cart (F)

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Figure F

Figure G
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Design Features (Mike Hand)

Sturdy and Robust

Folds Easily With Little Friction

Spring loaded for easy opening of the cart

Cart is opened by a simple tug on a lever

Low friction PTFE bearings and slides allow for smooth, quiet movement

Wire mesh flexible bottom

Operational Instructions (Mike Hand)

1. First, make sure nothing is in front of the cart to obstruct the opening of the cart.

2. Pull the lever on the left side of the cart to release the locking mechanism and open the

cart.

3. The cart will open and the wire mesh at the bottom and sides of the cart will unfold.

4. To close, lay the cart on the front panel of the cart.

5. Use your foot to press on the back panel of the cart and close the cart.

6. Listen for the sound of the locking mechanism clicking.

7. Once you have heard the locking mechanism click, remove you foot, pick up the cart and

store it.

Working Mechanism (Michael Hand)

This cart automatically springs open when a locking mechanism on the top of the cart is released.

The lock is released by pulling the lock actuator handle outwards. The lock is connected to the

actuator by a steel cable that is commonly found in bicycle brakes.

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Figure H

Figure I
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Figure J

Figure K
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When the lock is released the cart springs open like a pair of scissors. The bottoms of the scissor

links slide in slot bearings which allows them to slide upwards in the panel assembly. As the

bottom of the scissor links slide upward in the slots, the front and rear panels expand apart which

yields an internal cavity to place purchased goods.

When the cart is fully opened, the bottoms of the scissor links will rest on the top of the slot. The

top of the slot functions as a travel stop to prevent the cart from hyper extending.
 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 15

Cost Analysis (Zach Neff)

Design Cost Sheet

Section: 202 Date: 27 July 2017
Group: 4 Design Week: 3

Items Qty Unit Cost Total Cost

Big Extension Spring 1 $4.44 $4.44
Small Extension Spring 1 $0.81 $0.81
1x1 Steel Tubing 10ft 1 $15.30 $15.30
Bronze Sleeve Bearing 2 $0.87 $1.74
Caster Wheels 4 $2.30 $9.20
Canvas Cloth 4 $0.69 $2.76
Rivets 1 $2.99 $2.99
PTFE pellets for injection molding (1kg) 1 $0.95 $0.95
.375" OD .3125" ID Steel Tube 5ft 1 $4.37 $4.37
.25' Steel Plate 6"x12" 1 $8.50 $8.50

Total $51.06
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Summary and Conclusion (Megan Tessmer)

Throughout this project, many skills were acquired. We were given the option to make

our own decisions for the project as long as we followed the design requirements. This gave us

the chance to step out of our comfort zones and learn new things. Each member of the group

helped to come up with at least one individual idea for the first set of 5 shopping cart ideas. The

fifth idea was the reference shopping cart, found on the internet, to reference the other ideas back

to; the reference shopping cart ended up in the final three shopping cart ideas. When given the

opportunity to take the highest ranked ideas to the next step, we took the initiative to combine the

strengths of two ideas that were tied for a rank to make one idea. The prototype portion of the

project gave our group the chance to highlight each individuals talents and teach us new skills.

While one group member excelled at SolidWorks and created the drawings of the parts, the other

members were in the workshop using the provided resources and supplies to make a 3D

prototype. Each individual in the group contributed to either add or adjust to the prototype to best

represent the groups ideal shopping cart. Had we drilled holes into the tops and bottoms of the

pipes instead of hot gluing them, the prototype may have opened and closed easier; now we

know for next time that hot glue is not a good reinforcement on an intended movable joint.

When trying to visualize everyones idea for the prototype, it was very easy to

communicate and reach a common ground. The ideas from everyone in the group were very

diverse at first; we put our heads together and created one, unique shopping cart. Our final

shopping cart had the winning aspects from the other shopping carts, which made it the best

option. Being a part of a group for this project was crucial for success because if there was any

aspect about a shopping cart that a group member did not fully understand, there were three other
 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 17

people to help explain it. Our group was efficiently innovative and creative with designing the

best shopping cart for the given requirements.

Acknowledgement (Megan Tessmer)

Professor Xinli Wu for being very helpful by offering new ideas or perspectives on the project,

and by being precise as far as what is expected throughout the process.

Teaching Assistants Michael Gillett and Chris Trianosky for the workshop hours (7-11pm), very

crucial for the prototype portion of the project, and for answering any of our questions as well as

giving ideas or questions to consider about our design.

McMaster.com for the prices of the different materials needed to produce our product.

Joann Fabrics for the inexpensive prices of fabric for the canvas of our shopping cart.
 Hand, Neff, Oliver, Tessmer 18

References (Megan Tessmer)

"Folding Shopping Cart." CWI Medical. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2017.

OrganizeIt. "Folding Shopping Cart - Go Two." Http://www.organizeit.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26

July 2017.

"Folding Shopping Cart - Versacart Transit Utility Cart - Transport Up to 120 Pounds (Water-

Resistant Heavy Duty Canvas): Kitchen & Dining." Amazon.com: Folding Shopping

Cart - Versacart Transit Utility Cart - Transport Up to 120 Pounds (Water-Resistant

Heavy Duty Canvas): Kitchen & Dining. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2017.