Shelves
In designing the shelves, our starting point revolved around the half standard pallet dimensions we were provided with. From this, the design a set of shelves which would be able to house a pallet and in-turn provide some basic initial dimensions for the radio shuttle body itself.
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As much university material as possible would be utilised to design the shelves. Hollow square bars were sourced in the university workshop which would act as the vertical supports of the shelf structure. The bars were designed to be cut to a one metre length which would provide enough height for two "levels" to accommodate both the radio shuttle and the pallet.
Metal bars with an "L" or "T" shaped profile were also available for use and it was decided to incorporate them into the structure by using them as tracks to support pallets. Further metal bars were sourced which we believed could be implemented into the shelf structure as the shelf for the wheels of the radio shuttle. It was proposed the indent in the shelf could be utilised in such a way that the prototype wheels would slide into the space and be completely secured.
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However, upon measurement, there was not sufficient length of metal bars for the shelves the radio shuttle would move along. This was the case after the client expressed his wishes of creating a shelf structure which was at least three pallet sizes deep. So, further right angle profiled bars were purchased and were to be introduced to the shelf structure to support both the radio shuttle and pallets above. Due to the added length, the original right angled bars were to act as additional support latterly for the structure. Although there was only sufficient material for one level, if further bars are purchased and added to the structure there is adequate height to support two levels of radio shuttles and pallets.
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In order to design a system where a radio shuttle could raise a pallet off the shelf, the track the shuttle would move along had to be further inside than the shelves supporting the pallet. This was to save shaft material, limit stress when loading and to provide a stable centre of gravity for the lifting mechanism to support the pallet above.
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Leftover material from the vertical support bars was to be cut and then added to the existing vertical bars to create a distance between the shelf for the radio shuttle and the vertical support and subsequently the shelf above.
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A Solidworks model was generated of the entire shelf structure and a technical drawing was produced from this to utilise during the manufacture of the shelves as a reference.
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