Test Bracket Sorting Shelf

I designed and manufactured a fixture that stored test brackets relative to their client and size.

This is the finalized product that I created. Each bin has a slot for the 3 major Lozier clientele and their respective moment arm sizing. The photo in the bottom left demonstrates the motivation behind the project. Before, the brackets were all cluttered on the shelf, but with my design the entire area was far more organized. This saved a great deal of time when the engineers needed to get a quick test in.

The first photo illustrates one of the challenges that I had to overcome. My supervisor wanted the shelfs to be removable in case they needed to replace or paint them. The difficulty in this was that I needed to figure out a way to keep the shelf from sliding out along with the heavy brackets. I wanted to reduce the complexity and cost of the project as a whole, so implementing screws or other fastening methods was out of the picture. I came up with a shelf that kept it secure in the x and y directions, but it could be removed in the z direction by lifting up. This method worked out perfectly as the shelf did not move when one slid out the brackets.

The second feature that I felt was innovative is pictured in the next photo. This was the base of the entire system which had connecting brackets welded in such that it held each side wall in place very secure. This simple, yet strong connection allowed for the structural part of the shelf stay rigid even when subjected to the large loads from each bracket.

This project as a whole gave Lozier Product Engineer's the ability to quickly and easily select their desired test bracket saving time and money. I overcame various engineering design challenges, but I was still able to maintain the ease of manufacturing and simplicity in the design. The product also was extremely cheap to manufacture. If you have any questions about this design, feel free to reach out!