Integrated System Build and Test

Team Vision for Integrated System Build & Test Phase

At the end of the previous phase we had the motion and extruder systems largely put together, but they were missing some components in order to test the integration of the subsystems with the Duet. Specifically, the motion axes were not completely mounted to the frame due to issues we ran into during frame assembly and the extruder motor was not tested with the SSR/Duet because we were still in the process of testing nozzles/overall extruder design before integrating it with the electronics. During this phase we hoped to test the Extruder and Motion Subsystems against the Engineering Requirements to ensure that they were met.  Along side this, Hopper was to be manufactured and test however issues found in the motion subsystem testing and time to manufacture the hopper has not been able to be tested.  In addition, the the configuration files for the Duet for the control of the system were to be further developed to ensure proper configuration for full system testing. 

Summarize:

• This phase consisted of the testing of the extruder to ensure that it met Engineering Requirements. This testing saw the discovery of a handful of engineering requirements that would need to be changed.
• The motion system was to be completely assembled and tested. This process found several parts that needed to be remanufactured due to tolerance issues.
• The Hopper was to be built and tested this phase but this was not possible to be fully completed due to the higher priority that was placed on the motion refits.
• The Duet was to have a proper configuration file developed for both extrusion speed and motion control. Extrusion speed was able enter late development but the motion system took more time to get started as the system was being properly assembled and functioning preceded the development of the configuration controls of the motion for the duet.

Test Results Summary

During this phase the team was able to continue some preliminary testing and begin official testing of our engineering and customer requirements. The Requirements and Test Plans file provides detailed coverage of these plans and their current results. Below is a highlight of what the team completed this phase.

Preliminary Testing

Along the way to completing the printer, several preliminary tests were conducted. These are listed below with a description and results. Some results warranted additional work that is shown in section "Major Adjustments". 

Test Results 

After the summary table break down into the major test that were conducted.

Requirement Changes

During testing we realize some of our initial engineering requirements were more strict than they needed to be for this project. This lead to failed tested when the system was acceptable for the task it is given. We learned we would fail our testing based on non-critical metrics which required the team to reflect and make adjustments. These changes are shown below. 

Major Adjustments

During our preliminary testing, some problems arose that required more attention to make adjustments. This section highlights some major changes made.

Risk and Problem Tracking

Our updated Risk Management Tracking. Below is a high level overview of what we have addressed the last few weeks. 

Functional Demo Materials

Include links to:

• Pre-Read

Plans for next phase

During this next phase, we plan on creating a solid, repeatable test script for the printer, now that the motion axes are complete. We also want to mount the extruder to the printer and have it print concrete using the previously mentioned test script.  Properly set up the printer such that it can accept exported g code files from a slicing software. Run through system test methods and write the corresponding test reports in preparation for the customer hand off. Finally we plan to prepare the customer hand off report to conclude this project.