Wire & Cable Routing Formboard

For Class: EDSGN 100 Section 018

Team 4: Formboard and Seven Years Ago
Date: May 1st, 2018
Conor Barber - ​[email protected]

Anthony Ceccarelli-​[email protected]

Rachael Lorince - ​[email protected]

Aditya Singhal - ​[email protected]

Abstract

Formboards are crucial to assembling wires for all types of projects, big or small.

Lockheed Martin utilizes formboards everyday in configuring wire assemblies for their

aeronautical projects, however it often takes long periods of time to complete these assemblies

with current formboards. Our goal was to create a more efficient formboard for Lockheed Martin

to use. We settled upon a combination of a peg hole technique and a projector for our project. By

combining these ideas, we feel that Lockheed Martin can save both time and money.

Introduction

The purpose of this project, as outlined by parameters given by Lockheed-Martin, is to

develop a wire harness formboard that would be more efficient and cost effective in the creation

of different wire layouts. There needed to be a reusable aspect to the formboard that would

decrease the number of different formboards utilized in wire layout. The formboard needed to be

more efficient than what already exists so that there does not have to be a tedious procedure to

change a wire layout, and so that there are not several formboards that need to be created for

changes. In order to change the wire layout, the formboard needs to be easily adjustable and

increase the simplicity of the process of changing where the wire harnesses are placed. Overall

the formboard is developed to decrease the time, effort, and expense of creating different wire

layouts by becoming reusable, easier to read and follow, and easier to assemble.

Research

When we were first given our task of creating a formboard, we weren’t exactly sure what

a formboard was or what it did. It was important for us to first understand what we were creating
before we began brainstorming ideas. We began our research process by reading about

formboards and how they are employed today( Reference 1). From reading this, we truly

understood what a formboard’s purpose is, and from there we were able to think of what we

wanted our formboard to do.

Our next step in the research process was to find different formboard designs being

utilized today. We felt that seeing formboards being used in real life scenarios would give us

ideas to go off of in the concept generation process. We found a few models who gave us some

ideas moving forward with our project. While thinking about how to secure the wires on the

board, we found a wire clamp system that caught our eye. Although our design’s method of

clamping ontop wire is different, this design definitely got us moving in the right direction.

(Reference 2)

Once we settled on our peg designed wire clamps, we then had to decide on how we were

going to design the board itself.

 (Reference 3)

The picture above depicts a board with several tiny holes with inserts that the wires are

placed on. This board was used somewhat as a source of inspiration for us. We decided to make

a board with larger holes that we could insert our wire clamps into.

Finally, we moved on to researching projectors to use for our design. We researched the

most cost effective projectors on the market that are both high performance and durable. We

found that Epson projectors were the most cost effective for our design. We then decided based

on throw distance and resolution, that the VS240 SVGA 3LCD projector was the most cost

effective model, costing $350.

 (Reference 4)

Customer Needs/Metric

An important aspect of creating any project is to consider what it is that the consumer

actually wants from the product. Without accommodating to the wants and needs of the

customer, a project can miss the target on what they should be attempting to create. When

creating our formboard, brainstorming what it was that Lockheed Martin would like to see was a

very important step.

Our first criteria that we settled on was that it could not be too heavy. Obviously, some

formboards may be very large and weigh more than others, so we set our goal to make it less

than ten pounds per square foot. Another important factor would obviously be the cost. Lockheed

Martin surely wants to use the best materials they can, but they also want to save money. We felt

that a goal of under ten dollars per square foot would be reasonable for them, while still allowing

for quality material. The wire assemblies that Lockheed Martin creates have a wide range in size

due to the size of machines that they produce. Creating a formboard that allows for different

types of assemblies is a big factor for them. Our goal was to create a fifty square foot formboard

that would still give them the option to create smaller assemblies on it if necessary. Another need
is to produce a board that will last a long time, so we aimed to find a durable plastic material.

Storage was another issue that Lockheed Martin wanted us to address, so we are attempting to

minimize the number of formboards necessary. Our formboard needs to be easy to understand

and use in order to minimize the training time for new workers. Also, we want the wire layout to

be easy to see so we want to project it onto our formboards.

Concept Generation

The following are all concepts created by Formboard and Seven Years Ago, with the goal

in mind of creating an efficient, cost effective, and storage friendly model.

1) “Moldable Formboard”

This design features a moldable material that allows the board to bend and curve in shape

to accommodate more complex three dimensional layouts around different objects that the wires

may need to avoid or encompass.

Fig. 1

2) “Barcode System Wire Harness”

The barcode system model uses a barcode scanner. The bundles of wires come with a

barcode attached that codes for the correct configuration of the wires. Once the barcode is

scanned, the configuration is then displayed on the form board’s screen.​ ​This model makes it

extremely easy for workers to construct their desired harness. This model is also very proficient

at conserving storage, as only one electronic screen is needed to convey all of the downloaded

wire configurations.

​Fig. 2

3) “Removable Cube Formboard”

 This model features a form board composed of many removable blocks. These blocks can

be manipulated in order to fit any wire harness configuration, making its adjustability top notch.

The blocks can also all be disassembled and placed in a container, making its storage

conservation top notch.

​Fig. 3

4) “Formboard on Rails”

This idea makes the form board adjustable in length and size. If the wire path needs to

change to a different length, then it would be simple to change. The board sections slide along

metal rails and it locks into place. This would be cost effective and storage friendly considering

only the single board would be used, and it can slide into a compact size.
 ​Fig. 4

5) “Projector Formboard”

In this model, a projector displays the image of the desired layout on the formboard itself.

The formboard is transparent with a colored backing, making the projection easily visible. This

model would make the job of constructing wire harnesses much easier for the workers, and it

also takes up very little storage as only the projector and the one board must be stored.

​Fig. 5

6) “Bulletin Formboard”
 The bulletin formboard is built into the wall. A part of the wall can slide, revealing the

board. When not in use, the wall can be moved back to its original position. This model is

designed to minimize storage. The board’s minimal exposure also ensures its durability over

time.

​Fig. 6

7) “Computer LED Formboard”

In this model, the formboard is wired to a computer. The computer is pre-programmed

with wire harness configurations. Once you choose your desired layout, LED lights on the form

board light up corresponding to it. The computer has several wires that hook up to the

formboard. This model is cost effective because the LED lights can project any unique layout, so

no other boards are necessary.

 ​Fig. 7

8) “Peg Hole Formboard”

9) “Electronic Suction Cup Formboard”

This model depicts a formboard base and a screen that generates graphic wire layouts

based on the type and position of suction cups placed on the screen. This model will be very cost

efficient since all wire layouts are downloaded into the formboard. The board is built on a frame

with wheels, so when the formboard is not in use, the board can be wheeled into its space for

easy storage. The suction cups that are used to clamp on to wires prevent any damage done to the

screen, ensuring its durability over time.

https://www.wireweb.de/wire-reports/geared-towards-innovation_26132_de/
Fig. 9

Concept Scoring

The process to determine which ideas were going to be implemented was based off of a

concept scoring matrix. From this matrix it was determined that the most effective idea would

involve a computer screen or interactable surface that would increase ease of use and

adjustability, but for the purposes of this class and the overall cost of such an idea, the idea of a

peg hole formboard was chosen as it was one of the most cost effective and still had decent ease

of use. Most of the ideas were able to score decently and many were very close in the evaluation

as shown below. The formboard criteria were based off of standard product criteria: ease of use,

ease of assembly, durability, adjustability, cost, storage ability, and practicality. Taking these

principles into consideration, the concept scoring matrix was created in the Table.
 The eventual highest scoring idea was the Computer Screen, but as time went on it was

decided that a different idea would be more suitable for the parameters of the project. The peg

hole idea along with the projector idea were combined to create the final idea and design of this

project, both of which were some of the highest scored ideas along with the idea that was

initially selected. Weights ranging from .05 to .5 were implemented into the scoring matrix,

which was based off of criteria given by Lockheed-Martin for the project.
 ● Cost was given a the lowest rating of 0.05 in this matrix as it was not the main focus of

this project and other aspects were deemed more important.

● Ease of Use was considered the most important aspect with a weight of .25 as the main

purpose of this was to create a formboard that was easier and more convenient.

● Durability was a considerable aspect with weight 0.15 that had an average median weight

as it would be important for the formboard to be able to withstand stress from the wires,

wire harness, storage, movement, and various other circumstances of regular use.

● Adjustability was given equal weight as Durability as it was important that the board be

able to change with the shape what wire layouts might need.

● Ease of Assembly had a considerably high weight of 0.2, and is a factor that pairs with

adjustability for importance in general user experience.

● The storage capabilities of the formboard were considered one of the lowest weighted

factors with 0.1 as despite the fact that it was part of the parameters, it was more

important that the formboard be more efficient and convenient.

The top scoring ideas in the matrix were the Computer screen (4.3), which was initially selected,

the projector idea (3.9), and the peg hole idea (4.3). The latter two were combined in the final

idea, and were considered to outweigh the computer screen idea combined. Despite having some

remaining flaws, it was considered that many would not be difficult to work through, and the

benefits of this particular design outweighed its detractors in almost every aspect.

Final Description

Form-Board and seven years ago has designed a customizable formboard mainly

consisting of translucent materials. This material will have several measured incisions, which are
hexagonal shaped for greater friction, with corresponding filling blocks for them. These filling

blocks will individually have an incision each as well, which the intended wires will have the

ability to be connected to via pegs. A projector will be used to project an image of the required

wire layout behind the formboard, which will be seen from the front view as well, given the

translucent characteristics of the formboard. The filling blocks will then be placed according to

the projection of the desired wire layout, and the wires will be connected to them respectively.

This method of execution gives an outlet to maximum different unique wire layouts, with the

price of a single formboard.

Final Calculations

The final design for our formboard met almost all of the customer needs that we set out

for the project. Our first goal was to make the formboard not too heavy. By using a lighter

weight plastic, we were able to get our formboard’s final weight down to 8.8 pounds per square

foot of formboard. This is a very manageable weight depending on the size of the board itself. As

for the cost of creating the formboard, we found that the ABS Polycarbonate that we chose

would only cost around $6.70 per square foot. This is well under the goal of $10 per square foot

that we originally set out for. The need to allow for different types/sizes of assemblies was one

that was difficult, but by creating a formboard that was 65 square feet, it is able to accommodate

to the largest of wire assemblies. By making the peg holes in the board rather small in

comparison to the size of the board, it will also allow for smaller assemblies to be made on the

exact same board. The goal for storage was the minimize the number of formboards necessary as

well as reducing the amount of printed assembly layouts. We feel that that only one large

formboard would truly be necessary. On top of that, by utilizing a projector system, the printed
layouts would no longer be needed at all and could be eliminated. The idea behind our

formboard is rather simple and would make for a short amount of training time for the workers.

It likely would not take more than a few days for the workers to grasp the concepts behind the

design and be ready to work. Our final need was to insure that the layout was easy to see while

assembling. In the past, printed layouts would be put behind the formboard itself, but since we

are getting rid of printed layouts, we had to find a new answer. The answer was to make the base

of the formboard a solid color with the rest of it being transparent. This would allow layouts to

be projected onto the back part of the formboard without anything obstructing the view.

Concept of Operations or Scenarios

Form Board and Seven Years Ago’s customizable form board will serve the needs of

engineers requiring several unique formboards. This form board has several cuboidal holes

which have corresponding filling blocks with holes in their center, which the wires will be

connected to via pins. This will allow maximum unique wire layout capabilities.

Economic Viability and Feasibility of Adoption

The design generated is a very economically sound one for Lockheed Martin. As a large

company, they should have no problem investing in a couple of these formboards for their

company. The 65 square foot formboard made of ABS Polycarbonate would cost $435.69. This

may seem like a steep price to pay, but this plastic is made to withstand high temperatures and

high impacts, which means that it should last them a very long time before they need to replace

it. If they decided to go with a smaller size, the price would only decrease from there. The

second part of the set up could be a little bit expensive: the projector. It was decided that EPSON

projectors would be best for this project, which range in price between $300-1000, although the
model that we would recommend is only $350. This design also saves money in the manner that

there is no need to print out the layouts of the wire assemblies. This may seem like a small cost,

but it is one that adds up over time in paper and ink costs. This is a very feasible option

financially for Lockheed Martin to proceed with.

As for the stakeholders, the pitch to them will be that this is a step up in technology from

what is currently being used at Lockheed Martin. It will show them that they refuse to become

complacent in all aspects of their work. On top of that, preaching that this new method is more

eco-friendly could also be very effective. By showing how much paper they are no longer

consuming, stakeholders could be impressed by their dedication to the environment.

A possible challenge for Lockheed Martin could be that in today’s world with its growing

technologies, there may be a new, more viable option that comes in the near future. This idea

should be rather successful for as long as they want it to be. If and when a greater technology

comes, they may need to move on, but for now, Lockheed Martin should focus on making their

company more efficient today with this technology. Another possible issue that may need to be

addressed at some point is in the mobility of these large formboards, but by putting them on a

stand with wheels, that shouldn’t be that serious of a problem. All in all, this formboard is

economically sound and very feasible for the current state of Lockheed Martin.

Conclusion

This project incorporated the aspect of an actual application in everyday life in

engineering, which helped develop skills of innovation and product development for the

members of the team. Several facets of engineering careers such as cooperation, team building,

time management, and prioritization were improved upon and gave some new perspective on
how to handle the challenges of each. The future engineers in this group will utilize these skills

throughout the continuation of their education and further careers.

The idea chosen as the final design implemented a great deal of simplicity and

adjustability into its function. While it had a few downfalls with storage of the board or some

minor flaws of ability to read different layouts over the peg hole design, it was significantly

easier to use than a traditional formboard, is very easy to set up, and very easy to change without

hassle. The focus of this design was to decrease the time taken to set up, follow, and change

wire schematics. The perhaps broad structure of the formboard would be cumbersome to go

around unless there is more than one board. The main problem of this design would be the

ability to work around it and deal with bulkier wire layouts that might cover the wire schematic

projected onto the board.

In these cases, the formboard would still be functional just slightly inconvenient. A

change of angle of the board could solve this problem, or simply a few other ways that would

change the placement of the board. By integrating a possible stand to help move the board as

needed, there could be a further addition to increase ease of use, but for this project, the board

itself was the major focus of the design process. Perhaps this portion of the innovation process

will help to add little by little to the increasing ease of use and availability of devices that make

the entire engineering process in this field just a tad easier in the future.
References

1) https://www.zuken.com/en/products/electrical-wire-harness-design/e3-series/products/for

mboard

2) https://www.chevsofthe40s.com/dept/Fuel+Systems/cat/Clamps.html

3) ​asb0915quick2.jpg

4)
https://epson.com/For-Work/Projectors/Portable/VS240-SVGA-3LCD-Projector/p/V11H719220

https://www.wireweb.de/wire-reports/geared-towards-innovation_26132_de/