ASET Fall 2017 - 17

PROJECT SUMMARY
Overview
The Boxford lathe product line was manufactured in England from 1950's through the 1980's. The VSL was a popular lathe for educational institutions as it was robust for its
size and quite a capable little machine. It is for these reasons that many were imported into Canada and the USA.
For our project, we were required to address the deficiencies of a mechanically and electrically defective lathe,
which, as manufactured, uses a mechanical variable speed
system similar to those found in some cars (CVT or constant variable transmission) to vary spindle speed. The
system depends on many wearing components that are
either no longer available, prohibitively expensive, or quite
complex to fabricate. This is what led us to replace the mechanical variable speed mechanism with a modern electrical alternative using a variable frequency drive.
This new drive system required several additional upgrades. We had to design and fabricate a new motor mount
and belt-tensioning system, create a new electrical enclosure and control panel, and construct and install a new
spindle speed display. We also designed and fabricated
many components to repair existing damage to the lathe or
to improve its operation.
Motivation
The Boxford Lathe Project (BLP) team chose this capstone
because it offered the opportunity to develop our skills significantly, requiring us to employ the project management,
critical thinking, problem solving, design, and fabrication
learnings we gained over the course of our two years in
the RDC MET Program. As students, we wanted to gain as
much real-life practical experience as possible to bolster
what was being taught in the classroom.
The BLP team not only designed, fabricated, and installed many mechanical components, we specified and installed the project's electrical elements. This exposed us to
"the process" which is directly applicable to situations one
could encounter in a manufacturing environment, further
building on, and strengthening, our educational experience.
We focused on creating professional project documents,
delivering quality work, and adhering to a predetermined
"the process."

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA | FALL 2017 | 17



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASET Fall 2017

ASET Fall 2017 - Cover1
ASET Fall 2017 - Cover2
ASET Fall 2017 - A
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https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_dec2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/aset55anniversary
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_winter_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_fall_2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_summer_2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/dawson/aset/ta_spring_2015
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