Activity 1.5.7 Switch Plate Design

Project 1.5.7 Switch Plate Design Introduction Have you ever seen those neat switch plates that are made of ceramic and have different designs, such as a girl playing basketball or a boy playing hockey? Or have you seen switch plates in kitchens or bathrooms that depict a special theme, such as a lighthouse, sailboat, strawberries, or grapes? They make nice decorations in a room and can help make a room special.

In this activity you will design a switch plate with a special theme of your choice. It is important for you to remember what you learned about measuring, sketching, drawing, and using software in previous lessons and activities. You may want to refer back to your notes in your GTT notebook if you need help on an idea or design process.

Equipment  GTT notebook  Pencil  Computer with 3D modeling program  Sketch paper  Ruler  Single toggle or rocker switch

Procedure In this activity you will design a single toggle or rocker switch plate for use in a kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom with a theme of your choice. You will need to measure the single toggle or rocker switch provided for you to determine the clearance hole requirements for the toggle or rocker switch. It is important that you mark the dimensions on your orthographic drawing.

The design of the switch plate must include the following constraints:  At least one hole for hanging that is either a counterbore or countersink  Fillets or chamfers that add to the design  Rounded edges for safety

In order for you to know how to create the holes, counterbore, countersink, fillets, and rounds for this project, you will follow the instructions of your teacher or complete the tutorials regarding these topics.

Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2010 GTT – Unit 1 – Lesson 5 – Activity 1.5.7 – Switch Plate Design – Page 1 Follow the design process as you develop your ideas. Complete the attached Switch Plate Design Brief, Decision Matrix, and Design Process Solution pages as you work on your switch plate design.

Be sure to include entries in your Engineering Notebook for every day that you work on this project.

Sample switch plate designs:

Conclusion 1. What was the hardest part about designing the switch plate?

2. If you were given more time, what would you like to change about your switch plate design?

3. When creating the working drawings of the switch plate, what was it important for you to remember?

Client:

Designer:

Problem Statement:

Design Statement:

Constraints:

Deliverables:

4. In the criteria boxes, list the criteria from your design brief. 5. Under the ideas boxes, record your three ideas and your partner’s three ideas – label the sketches A, B, C, D, E, and F. 6. Evaluate the design idea for all criteria, giving each a value between 1 and 4. 1 means the design doesn’t meet the criteria; 4 means that this is the best possible solution to the problem for this specific need. 7. If your criteria is a question, use 1 if the answer is no and 2 if the answer is yes. 8. When you finish evaluating your sketches, add the numbers across and put your answer in the Total column. 9. The design with the highest total is your Best Solution.

Criteria Ideas Totals

A Designed by:

B Designed by:

C Designed by:

D Designed by:

F Designed by:

Switch Plate Design Process Solution

Design Process Step Student Work at This Step: 1: Define the Problem

2: Brainstorm

4: Develop Ideas

5: Choose Best Idea

6: Model or Prototype

7: Test and Evaluate

8: Improve Design

9: Communicate Results