A successful development and integration of a low-cost add-on feature, increasing load-carrying capacity for an off-highway implement in just 12 months from concept to prototype.
Table of Contents
Highlights:
- Industry: Agriculture
- Project Duration: 12 months (concept to prototype)
- Services Provided:
- Mechanical Design
- Hydraulic Design
- Computer-Aided Engineering
Background
A leading implement manufacturer recognized the need to enhance their product’s versatility and efficiency in response to customer demand. The proposed feature aimed to improve the implement’s efficiency and accuracy, enabling it to adapt to changes in load and terrain. The packaging was complex to integrate into the existing implement design. The existing team brought ATG fractional team members onto the project to augment their staff and capability, including design and engineering analysis expertise, and project management.
Objective
The combined team’s goal was to develop and integrate a load-compensating feature to improve the implement’s functionality without compromising performance while minimizing the material and assembly cost of the new subsystems. This new feature required comprehensive hydraulic, mechanical, and kinematic design work, which was supplemented by iterative Finite Element Analysis (FEA) methods to ensure structural integrity, functionality, and operational safety.
Design Phase
The design process involved several vital steps:
- Mechanical Design: Engineers designed the load-compensating feature, focusing on materials and mechanical properties that would withstand various loading conditions and align with current manufacturing and joining methods. The team conducted regular checks to ensure compatibility with existing assembly tooling. This design included significant sheet metal and weld design to achieve a final solution that could be manufactured in the current facility.
- Hydraulic System Integration: Hydraulic specialists developed a new hydraulic circuit to control the movement of the subsystem, ensuring seamless integration with the implement’s existing hydraulic system.
- Kinematic Analysis: A kinematic analyst modeled the implement’s movement along with the new subsystem to optimize the range of motion and ensure efficient operation.
- FEA Implementation: The FEA expert analyzed stress and strain to validate the design’s durability and safety under operational loads.
Findings and Adjustments
The initial FEA highlighted areas where stress concentrations exceeded safe limits. The team made necessary adjustments by altering the design to distribute loads more evenly and selecting higher-grade materials for critical stress points.
Prototyping and Testing
The client built a prototype of the subsystem using the modified designs. This prototype underwent rigorous field testing to evaluate its performance in real-world conditions and to gather feedback for further refinements.
Implementation
The final designs were approved after successful prototype testing. Detailed documentation and manufacturing guidelines were prepared to facilitate production.
Results
Adding the load compensation feature significantly improved the implement’s performance by increasing its utility in various operational contexts and boosting its load-carrying capacity. The project successfully strengthened product functionality and adhered to stringent safety and performance standards. This demonstrated the effective collaboration of multiple engineering disciplines in product development. Notably, these improvements were achieved with no tooling changes, resulting in a cost avoidance of over $10,000.