Problem Definition

Need statement:

In need of a automatic cup crushing machine to dispose the used cups at a cafeteria by crushing the cups to reduce the size of the cup to it's minimun and to send the cups to a disposal unit for recycling process.

1.1 Question and answer

Table 1: Question and answer

Sl.No	Questions	answer	Objective/Function/Constraint
1.	Should the machine be automatic or manual?	The Machine should be automatic	Objective
2.	Machine should be fixed or portable?	The Machine should be portable	Objective
3.	What should be the maximum weight of Machine?	Less than 3kgs	Constraint
4.	What should be the Size of Machine?	Dimensions : 2ft X 2ft X 2ft	Constraint
5.	How many cups should be crushed per minute?	At least 5 cups per minute	Constraint
6.	What should be the size of the cup to be crushed?	less than 1ft X 0.5ft	Constraint
7.	Should the machine be user friendly?	Yes	Objective
8.	What other features are expected?	It should have a indicator to signal process completion,It must be clean and hygienic,Should sense the cup	Function
9.	How much machine can cost?	Try to make it within Rs 4000	Constraint

1.2 Basic Survey and requirements

Table 2: Observation from a literature survey

Sl.No	Observation from Surveys	Requirements
1.	Weight of Machine	It should be easy to carry and transportable
2.	No of operations	The machine should work fine for at least 8 to 10 attempts
3.	Cost	Machine should be built with minimum budget
4.	No of cups to be crushed	The machine should crush 5 cups per minute
5.	Materials to be used	Materials used to build, must be non toxic and light weight

1.3 Identifying Client's Objectives

Step 1: Prepare a list of design objectives

Table 3: Objectives identified

Sl.No	Objectives
01	Machine should be automatic
02	Machine should be portable
03	Machine should be hygienic
04	Machine should be User-friendly

Problem definition version 1.1 :-

Design a automatic cup crusher machine,it should be portable and user-friendly, which is able to do accurate cup crushing, the cost should be minimum and should be easily recyclable.

1.4 Identify constraints

Step 1: Prepare a list of design constraints

Table 4: Identified Constraints

Sl.No	Constraints
01	Machine should weight less than 5kg.
02	Dimensions 8 cubic ft
03	Machine should crush at least 5 cups per minute.
04	Cups of maximum 1ft X 0.5ft should be crushed.
05	Machine should crush one cup at a time.
06	The machine should work for 3 to 4 HRS continuously.
07	Machine should be durable for 8 to 10 uses.
08	Cost of the machine should be within Rs-4000

Problem definition version 1.2 :-

Design a automatic cup crushing machine, which is able to do accurate and hygienic crushing process, it should be portable and user friendly.Machine must not exceed the volume of 8 cubic feets , should be able to crush atleast 5 cups per minute, budget to build should not exceed Rs. 4000 and it should work for 3 to 4 hours continuously.

1.5 Establish Functions

Step 1: Prepare a list of design functions

      Table 5: Identified Functions

Sl.No	Functions
01	display the material of cups it can crush
02	Sense the cup
03	tell error in positioning the cup
04	sense the hand and tell to remove the hand
05	display cups will be crushed in 5 sec
06	crush the cup
07	display that the cup is crushed
08	move it to the dustbin
09	display that the work is done

Problem definition version 1.3 :-

Design a automatic cup crushing machine, which is able to do accurate and hygienic crushing process, it should be portable and user-friendly. Machine must not exceed the volume of 8 cubic feet, should be able to crush at least 5 cups per minute, budget to build should not exceed Rs. 4000 and it should work for 3 hours continuously. Machine should indicate the user before and after crushing process is completed and should not do crushing in case if no cup is placed.(Sense the cup and it's size).