Student Team: Erick Lyons, Nicholas Hall, James Youmans, Michael Beckett
Advisor: Jeff Nolting
Sponsoring Organization: Wagstaff, Inc.
Liaison: Brett Thielman, Mike Anderson
Wagstaff is developing a new research facility with the capacity to cast larger aluminum ingots. The company asked us to design a device that attaches to a crane and clamps to an ingot (weighing up to 55,000 lbs.), allowing the crane to lift the ingot up and out of the casting pit. As a team, we created a design that minimizes the overhead space needed and accommodates a large range of ingot sizes. We developed a SolidWorks assembly and ran engineering calculations to ensure the structural integrity and safety of the lifting device. While designing, we accounted for overall weight, height, clamping speed, and clamping force. We also specified and configured prefabricated components that were crucial to the design.