Tennis Ball Launcher

Place for Progress Documentation

Kadence's Group:

11/29/22 - We used the CAD model that we made last Tuesday to build an actual model of our launcher. We built the infrastructure and fabricated our actual launcher. We just need to finalize assembly. We completed the marketing aspect of our project. We test our prototypes to make sure our concepts work. Next week we are going to finish assembly within the first hour and spend the remainder of time testing and improving our design.

Defective Stapler:

12/6/22- We made a few changes to Carl's design tonight. We decided to cut holes into the tube and put a metal beam through for more support. We still haven't built our base yet for Carl :(.

11/29/22- We made progress in cad and on the PPT presentation. We also started building Carl in the shop. We got a metal rod and tapped a hole in one end to screw a metal plate into. We will pull back on the rod and we will have springs on the inside of the tube which will be at a 45 degree angle. The springs will make our launcher act like a spring loaded piston.

11/22/22- We cadded our design for our launcher (we named it Carl) in Inventor. We made the PowerPoint for Carl and the ppt describes Carl and what we did to build him and describes what we want him to do. We are going more for distance rather than accuracy.

11/15/22 - Initially, we went through several ideas including a catapult, trebuchet, and ballista. However, we were inspired by a broken stapler that we found in Bin 23 (Springs) and we decided to make a cannon-esque tennis ball launcher made from similar parts, except scaled up. We plan on acquiring more parts over the weekend (such as a larger spring), but we currently have our main tube, which is made of cardboard. Our overall idea is to have a tube that has a spring that will be pulled back and shove the tennis ball with a lot of force. That will be all. :)

Max's Backhand:

We did some rough prototyping, and we're planning on doing a slingshot-esque design. We also decided on a team name (which is above), with our launcher, Match Point. We are going to do a custom carriage for the tennis ball to optimize release as well as holding. Combined with our tensioned surgical tubing, we think we will do quite well in the distance competition.

Group 4:

11/15/2022: We worked on a PowerPoint for marketing, story board, prototype in fusion, and a mascot. We also did a wood prototype.11/22/2022: We worked on the PowerPoint. We worked on CAD for the prototype

11/29/2022: Worked on prototype, drilled holes and added the band. Tested the prototype. Worked on PowerPoint and took pictures of prototype.

Let That Sink In:

11/15/2022 - After crude prototyping and designing, we have determined to use a catapult-like mechanism where tension would be achieved with rubber tubing and a variable (temporary) release mechanism. We collected necessary resources, started basic prototyping and construction, and discussed safety options.

11/22/2022 - Following a potential prototype design, we continued to modify the design and test its potential. We started building the final launcher.

11/29/2022 - We finished the base for the launcher, and began designing a cup holder. Began working on presentation.

12/6/2022 - Due to 3D printing issues, we chose to continue with a basic cup holder. Hence, we finalized our cup holder and tennis ball launcher, along with our PowerPoint.

Geoff Loves Team 6:

Today, we did some prototyping of a Catapult-based design. We also were able to test in a stairway and in the hallway where H21 is. Geoff's dedication to helping us led us to name our team after him, and we named our launcher "Geoff's Heart & Soul". We tested and we found out that it launched better when we added a hard stop for our catapult, and we were able to launch it about 10 feet. Further advancements, including potentially using a spring-loaded hammer to slam down on our launcher, will likely increase our launch distance.