Project 07 involved identifying flaws in three consumer products - a pull-up bar attachment, snowboard, and post-hole digger - and redesigning them. The pull-up bar's attachment brackets were sheared off. For the snowboard, the bindings were held on with the wrong screws in the wrong alignment, causing slipping. The post-hole digger could only dig 12 inches deep. The report proposes redesigning the pull-up bar's brackets, changing the snowboard's binding screws, and adding a channel lock to the digger to allow for deeper digging. The pull-up bar redesign was selected for the assignment.

1. UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
Project 07 – Phase 1
Product Flaw Identification and Redesign
Jonathan E. Jones - #3451-8370
10/13/2009
Project 07 was the first step into the design aspect of MAE377. Taking three consumer products,
identifying faults, and the redesign into something better off was the main focus of this phase of the
project.

2. Table of Contents
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Problem Statement ............................................................................................................................... 3
3. Results ................................................................................................................................................... 3
4. Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 5
5. Conclusion – Pull-Up Redesign.............................................................................................................. 6
6. References ............................................................................................................................................ 6
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3. 1. Introduction
The purpose of Project 07 is to shift the thinking of an engineering student such as myself from that of
the mundane script-following recreation of 3D models to the actual design of a product of my own.
Although, for Project 07, I did not get to create a product entirely from scratch, I did get to take existing
consumer goods, analyze their faults, and design them better.
2. Problem Statement
The first phase of this Project 07—that which I this report centers around—was to research three
existing commercial products and find flaws in them. I found three products around my apartment and
parents house that met these criteria: a pull up bar attachment to my gym, a snowboard, and a post-
hole digger.
3. Results
Each of the three products I found has a flaw of their own in some manner or another. In order to
better illustrate these products, please refer to the below table, which should provide ample
information regarding each product.
Product Pictures of Product Flaw Pictures of Flaw
Description Description
1 This accessory for The brackets
the Chuck Norris that attach
endorsed Total the accessory
Gym 1000 is to the track
meant for the were sheared
“pull-up” clean off, the
exercises. The proper
accessory placement
attaches to the and welding
machine by means of these
of two pins, and brackets was
allows for the user never met.
to pull himself up,
sliding along a
track that can vary
in height, thereby
working out the
back and lats,
among many
other muscles.
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4. 2 This is a modern The bindings
snowboard, are being
complete with held on by
contouring and the wrong
bindings; meant type of
to be strapped to screws, in
the feet and for the wrong
recreational use alignment,
down a snow and this
covered hill. causes them
to slip and
rotate while
in use. This
is due to
wear on the
board itself,
and is
actually
mildly
dangerous.
The
contouring of
the board
can also be
bettered.
3 A post-hole digger The digger is
is meant to be designed so
used to dig holes that it can
for posts. By effectively
utilizing a kind of dig holes up
“scissoring” to about
motion of two twelve inches
separate deep. I plan
components, the on
user is able to introducing
drive the device an extra
into the ground, hinge
creating a circular partway up
hole. the digger,
allowing for
you to keep
digging
beyond
twelve
inches.
Table 1: Candidate products for re-design and their flaw(s) description
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5. 4. Discussion
Original Design New Design Description of
New Design
1 I want to
redesign the
brackets that
held the pull-
up accessory
to the track
of the Total
Gym. I want
to change
their shape
and the
alignment of
the welding,
in order to
increase the
strength of
the part.
2 I want to
change the
type and
alignment of
the screws
and screw
holes in the
base of the
binding of
the board in
order to
reduce
rotation and
increase
safety. I
would also
like to alter
the shape of
the board
itself in order
to increase
control and
steering.
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6. 3 I would like
to introduce
a channel
lock midway
up the post-
hole digger in
order to
increase the
depth of hole
possible from
twelve inches
to twenty
four or more.
Table 2: Candidate products and their proposed re-design
5. Conclusion – Pull-Up Redesign
After investigating and evaluating all three of my consumer products: the pull-up accessory, snowboard,
and post-hole digger, I have decided that one redesign would be more beneficial and interesting than
the others. It was a sad, sorry day when I could no longer use my pull-up attachment to the Total Gym,
and it was honestly something I wish had been fixed for a solid five year period of my life. This being the
case, and the redesign being so simple yet exponentially beneficial, I would like to submit the “Pull-Up
Accessory” as my redesign assignment for Project 07.
6. References
No references were used in the writing of this report.
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