Building from the Ground Up: The Tale of the ISAC Capstone Project

You may be asking yourself "What is a capstone project, and who the h@$l is Isac?!" after reading the title of this blog. Well let's start from the very beginning. a capstone project is a large-scale project is assigned to a group of senior students as a prerequisite for graduation. The project is most often proposed either through a fellow student or an outside company. The project is meant to encompass all the techniques and strategies taught over the students' years in their college program. The purpose of the project is to prepare students to work in the industries they will most likely be employed within to give them some brief experience to the workings of a project schedule. The project is also a good opportunity to put a final polish on the skills that students were supposed to have obtained over their college careers. With that clarified, let me explain where the name ISAC came from. ISAC stands for the Interdisciplinary Stage Automation Capstone. It is the team name attached to my mechanical engineering capstone project at Ohio Northern University. This blog is a brief run through of the workings and results of the project determining whether I graduate with my degree in May of this year.

Freed Center for the Performing Arts Facade

The project first began as a proposal submitted to the college of engineering by the lead technical director of the Freed Center for Performing Arts here at Ohio Northern University. The project proposed the design and construction of some sort of automated system capable of pulling scenery across the main stage and the studio theater of the facility. The reason such a system was desired was to create fluid and precise movements for large and heavy pieces of scenery often used in theatrical performances. The system would also add safety to the movement of these sets by eliminating the need for stagehands to generate the movement, as well as provide a smooth motion for any actors that may be riding on top of the sets.

Main Stage of the Freed Center, where the project will
be used the most often.

The project was ultimately approved to be assigned by the college of engineering. The college then polled students as to which projects they would like to work on, and assigned students to projects according to their interests. Three mechanical engineers (including myself) and two electrical engineers were assigned this project during the fall semester of 2017. Once the project was assigned to our team, we immediately began gathering data for the project. We researched competitive systems to what we were expected to design, interviewed a technician who works on these systems professionally and began to compile a list of the basic system components needed for the system. Once we felt we had a decent grasp on the ins and outs of the system we were to design, we began to generate possible solutions to the Freed Center’s problems. This involve the creation of three solutions as per the requirements of the capstone course the project was assigned through. The three solutions all had the same general configuration, but involved the use of different motors as well as speed reduction techniques from the motor to the drum that would ultimately spool the cable.

The three-dimensional model created of the proposed system.

These three solutions were then compared to one another using ranking techniques taught to us in the engineering curriculum. An ultimate solution was chosen, and defended in front of engineering faculty in an engineering review board. The solution chosen consisted of an electric motor coupled with a mechanical brake and a speed reducing gearbox. The output of the gearbox was then attached to a shaft to spin the cable drum to pull the scenery across the stage. The general design was ultimately well-like, but needed a great deal of refining. Calculations were done to ensure a motor and speed reduction were adequate to withstand the loading and desired speed specified by the customer. Once specifications were finally established through rigorous calculations, a final design and three-dimensional model of the proposed system was generated. Once again, a project review board was assembled to review our solution and the component specifications we had calculated. Once the solution was approved for assembly, then the parts quoted for the proposed design were ordered using money allocated to us by the customer.

Final assembled system used in testing.

The mechanical components
and enclosure side by side.

Construction of the system began immediately once the components arrived. The mechanical components were all unpackaged and tested individually to ensure they were not broken, and that they all functioned as specified by the orders we made. Once the components were verified, the motor, brake, and gear reduction were mated together to form one unit. The enclosure for the entire system was then constructed according to measurements taken from the component specification sheets, and validated on the physical components. Once the enclosure was completed, the mechanical components were placed within it and leveled to ensure no premature wearing of components. Once the mechanical assembly was constructed, it was linked to the “brain” of the system constructed by the electrical engineers on the project. The programming and electrical components control the output and functionality of the motor in order to create the movements desired by the Freed Center. A user-friendly interface was also created in order to make the system relatively intuitive to use once it was installed on site.
Once all of the systems were linked, the system was brought on site to the customer for testing. This is the current status of the project as the team works to optimize and fine tune the workings of the system. The video embedded in this blog (also viewable here) shows the setup used for the testing of the system. The system was rigged as it would be for use in a show on the main stage of the Freed Center. The maximum load was then applied to the system in order to test the functionality of the mechanical and electrical systems. Some problems were experienced in terms of the height of the cable used to generate the movement from the stage floor, as well as the accuracy of the moving of the scenery. These are all issues that will be corrected through further testing of the system over the next two weeks. The finishing touches such as paint, cleaner wiring connections and component packaging will also be taking place in the next few weeks as the project comes to a close. The project was an overall rewarding experience to showcase my abilities I have gained through my schooling at Ohio Northern. Hopefully the system we have created will reliably be serving the Freed Center for years to come.