Corinne "Potato" Kennedy

During the summer of 2015, I participated in an Engineering Design course at MassBay Community College. Throughout this six week course, the class worked in groups of four to concept, design, and create a product using SolidWorks. My group came up with The MAGiC Holder, a device that could hold a book and a tablet simultaneously and allow for reading and quick switching between the two while allowing the user to recline and be hands free. We felt the product would be useful for people with disabilities who either do not have the ability to hold item securely or who have difficulty sitting upright on their own. Our research found that most holders on the market are designed to either work for books or tablets alone, so we felt our product would fill the gap.

 

The MAGiC Holder went through several iterations. Originally the backboard of the holder was to be built in two halves that would slide over one another. This was intended to keep books centered on the device at all times and held securely. We had wanted to use a ratcheting lock system similar to one found on a box cutter to allow for easy position adjustments of the halves. The design had many moving parts that had to work together perfectly. We found that we did not possess a strong understanding of how the parts would connect to one another without interfering with each other. We simplified to a solid backboard with grooves cut into it. Screws would keep cover holders in place and could be loosened to move up and down in the grooves to fit the book.

 

One challenge was communication. All of us had different schedules and lived far from each other, so it was difficult to find times to meet in person outside of class. We relied on emails to communicate with one another. Over time, we became better at keeping a running dialogue. We were emailing each other almost daily as the due date approached and we managed to complete the project and get all of our individual parts to fit together in SolidWorks.  It was not what we originally designed, but it was very exciting to see all of the parts come together into the final product.

 

During the process I, personally, learned a lot about SolidWorks. I found the program very intuitive and easy to use, especially with my previous 3D modeling experience. Most programs I have used start with taking 3D primitives, such as a cube, and combining, cutting, or reshaping them to create a model. SolidWorks allows the user to work in 2D, which makes it easier to create profiles and desired shapes. The 2D sketch is then made 3D using one of a few different operations. I look forward to working with CAD software, such as SolidWorks, in the future.