Abstract

Team 512 worked with Danfoss in the 2023-2024 school year to upgrade their Mini-TT shaft bearing press to accommodate various types of shafts and bearings. The team met with Danfoss to learn their customer needs and understand how the existing press works. As a result, brainstorming sessions were used to formulate solutions to Danfoss’s existing problems. The team created key goals from the targets and metrics to decide on a new press design.

The team’s focus was to add safety features to allow for a safer and more user-friendly press while maintaining the same pressure and function. In the immediate need to meet the design constraints and budget, the team upgraded the existing press by redesigning a new frame with a larger work area. For function, the press was made taller to account for the new shafts that will be placed in it. To ensure user safety, the shield around the press was upgraded from a plexiglass shield to a wire mesh steel cage. As a long-term solution, a 20-ton hydraulic press with a larger work area and increased stroke was suggested to Danfoss. The team provided Danfoss with a quote and outlined specifications of the new desired press. It was collectively decided that Danfoss would order the new press recommended by the team in 2025.

The project taught the team how to adapt to unexpected challenges and find creative solutions to problems on the fly. The project shows the importance of clear communication and teamwork within a group setting. The project allowed the team to implement their understanding of various subjects, such as mechanical systems and thermal fluids. Doing so, they were able to create a working press that could be added to the workplace of Danfoss.