Excavator Redesign

[tomgpasterik]

I am a graduating student from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I have a thesis 2 class and I will be redesigning an excavator. The redesign will stress the importance of either ergonomically friendly or environmentally friendly areas when dealing with an excavator. The design will also be aesthetically, and functionally improved to compete or surpass the current market. I have run these machines for 3 years of my life, and I realize the pros and cons of these machines. I just wanted to know your feed back from operating, and working on these machines? Below are a few questions that hopefully you can answer so I can better understand how to redesign this piece of machinery.
Tell me what you think could be improved upon the excavators that are in the field today?

When you purchase an excavator what is one of the first things that draw you to the excavator that is needed? (This excludes the size of the excavator)

What is the most aesthetically pleasing excavator in the market today?

Would you like to see a hybrid, or alternative power source? If so what kind of sources?

Is there technology that is out there that you would like to see in/on an excavator?

What is the biggest problem when servicing these machines?

Have you found a quick way or new tool to use while servicing these machines?

Would you like to see an extending counterweight? This counterweight functions while operating in the field or servicing the machine? Would you like to see it hydraulically extend out or up depending on loads?

What would you like to see change in the cab? Examples: Space, ergonomics, view, new technologies, or any thing that would make your day easier and more comfortable?

If possible would you like to be able to see through the boom and the stick?

What is the main problem with the hydraulics? What is your way of solving this problem?

 

[watglen]

Off the top of my head....


If i had my way there would be proximity sensors on the rear and sides of the house. It should help prevent swinging into things.

More power on the crowd out (dipper out) function would be nice.

Better boom hose and light protection is always handy.

Somebody has to invent a radio that works in all possible conditions. I want AM on the moon, or at the bottom of the ocean. I want to roll the machine off the side of a mountain and still hear the radio after it hits bottom.

Grade control should be built in at the factory.

Just some thoughts....

 

[gasfield315c]

all of what he said, plus something like a bluetooth system in it or something like the ford synch thing, where you could have a radio, cd player, phone, all that stuff in one monitor with all the gauges on it also, where all you had to do is talk to it and it did whatever you wanted it to, and also a better place to put a lunch box and coffee jug, and maybe a jacket and hardhat in the cab, cat has the right idea with the heated and cooled compartment behind the seat, but another cubby hole would be nice.

I would also like to see something like a john deere 310sj backhoe has, you can select the hydraulic speed with 3 different levels and keep the engine at the same rpm

Oh and while your'e at it, tracks that clean themselves...haha:guns

 

[watglen]

Yeah, tracks that clean themselves!


If you can do that, then you can forget everything else i asked for!

:drinkup

 

[Komatsu 150]

Don't forget cleaning the bucket as long as we're wishing.

 

[Vantage_TeS]

Self cleaning tracks (at least the middle seciton anyways) would be super simple. Just have a piston in the middle of the car body and a plate. While you're running it the plate is retracted against the body protecting the piston. End of the day the piston runs out pushing any dirt stuck in that middle section off the tracks, then returns to "hideaway" mode. Still have to do a quick swab around the idler and final drive but with that hole in the middle already there it would be almost effortless.

Bucket could have a "hidden" compartment with another plate and a short fat piston that pops out a few inches and frees the stuck dirt.

 

[Eric]

An air conditioner that works 99.99999 percent of the time.

 

[youngoperator]

how about self leveing on slopes...and a heater that can defrost ALL the windows in the winter

 

[John C.]

Just sharpen the tops of the track frames and most of the dirt will fall off.

As a wrench I like remote stations for filters and drain systems for the filters. Every time you remove one there is always a puddle underneath. So maybe a removable pan you can clean out after the change.

Another things is gauge connects. They are putting them in stations on dozers now, so why not excavators. Better yet why not have the electronics being able to just tell the operator what is wrong. Lord knows the operators are always telling us mechanics what is wrong. Turn about would be nice.

As far as colors go I think they ruled out camo awhile back. I do like the old Link-Belt schemes from years ago. Red and white was kind of patriotic back then. Just plain yellow, no matter what tint, is just plain boring. What better advertising could you have than a brightly colored machine showing off your company colors. I also always figured something eye catching was safer than the loud noise of a motion alarm.

As far as counterweights go there is too much kinetic energy in the swinging house to have any kind of moveable weight.

Good Luck!

 

[Vantage_TeS]

As far as counterweights go there is too much kinetic energy in the swinging house to have any kind of moveable weight.

Is that so? Might wanna take a look at this then (last paragraph is of interest to you): https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showpost.php?p=181322&postcount=14

They have been making self leveling harvesters/feller-bunchers for years however the weight of a tree is no where near the digging force of bucket and I suspect the self leveling system wouldnt handle the abuse (at least not in it's current forestry configuration).

 

[gasfield315c]

i think you should have a pimp-my-hoe kinda machine, full custom interior with all billet knobs, buttons, pedals, and levers. Leather heated seats, full sound system with a couple 10's behind the seat, and of course my touchscreen headunit idea. Moving along to the outside, there would be a custom candy paint job, pinstriping, blacked out headlights, braided stainless steel hoses, chrome exhaust stack, chrome undercarriage (that cleaned itself ofcourse), and a big bucket with tungsten teeth that never wore out....haha

 

[Greg]

Everything that has been mentioned here is technical in nature. Not really what I would call up the alley of an art instutite in my opinion or experience. That is why technical people design heavy equipment. I went to engineering school and struck out on my own some 20 plus years ago. There are lots of problems with many things that today's technical guys are designing today because of to much "compartmentalism." This guy works on this component, that guy on that component with no interface between the two. No offence to you but I have a hard time seeing what an artist brings to the table in designing highly engineered specialized heavy equipment.

 

[Aliate]

just something to throw out there that might help you out. Ive always looked at hydraulic systems as almost ancient technology, if you really take a step back and look at it. I mean its a great idea but just compare it to the human body, hydraulics are dirt slow, you could never replicate anything the human body does. I think the next big advancement that my lifetime will see is something that does away with hydraulic systems completely.

 

[SouthOnBeach]

on the idea of an extending counter weight, what about a ZTR when the weight is in with some reduced capacity, then when you have room for swinging safely you could extend it out and have a more stable machine with more capacity.

 

[tomgpasterik]

I dont know how you think of the art institute but I'm going to school to be an industrial designer. Yeah i know its not fully engineering but i have done design work for John Deere, and heavy machinery companies have come into our school looking for design students. As an industrial designer I have to know how things go together, and research a lot so I hope you follow my process through this and let me know what you think.

 

[tomgpasterik]

THANK YOU ALL! If you have anymore ideas, problems, and or solutions please email me or post them. You all have helped me out a great deal. If your at work and something bothers you, or an idea comes up please remember it and post it on here. If you wouldnt mind asking one of your co workers for ideas too. Anything can help. Thank You for taking the time out!

 

[360joe]

I think the basic design of the tracked excavatior is perfected long ago. Internally the cabs are so good now that further improvements are unlikely to be of much significance.
In the near future, I see the design evolving primarily in the direction of saving fuel. Everything will be built lighter and be more highly stressed. Energy regeneration systems will become a standard feature on smaller machines. These systems are in place already on bigger machines. They would typically have a hydraulic reservoir than compresses a gas as the boom drops or as a slew break. The energy is fed back into the system then to raise the boom or accelerate slew.
I think a fuel consumption gauges should be in the cab. Some excavators have lights to show you when you are using alot of fuel but I don't know why they can't just give the operators a bit of credit and show the actual consumption rate in litres or gallons per hour.
I think the cab roof should be all glass. An operator should be able to see the top of the boom even at full height. Very easy to pull down wires or destroy a hydraulic cyclinder by raising the boom against an overhead structure. If you could see the boom at all times it would help avoid this.
I think you will see more cameras to improve all round visabilty built in as standard.
I think you you will see more sensors built in to warn of counter weight coming close to something or sensors that will detect overhead or underground cables.
The heavier excavators will probably be made a bit easier to breakdown for transport. I saw an excavator once, Daweoo I think, that could pick up or drop its own counterweight. Seemed like a good idea.
Lastly, it would be great if the smaller excavators could carry their buckets somewhere handy. Obviously they can carry buckets with buckets but you cannot do anything then as you travel along.
Oh yeah, a seperate tool box for the gease gun too.

 

[Vantage_TeS]

Internally the cabs are so good now that further improvements are unlikely to be of much significance.

So how come there is no place for my lunch cooler in a Cat cab? Or that the floor mats only go to the seat allowing any dirt that falls off them to accumulate RIGHT NEXT TO THE AIR FILTER and since it's now lower than the mat, impossible to sweep out the door? What about a seat that allows you to adjust the height AND the spring tension, I'm 6'5" and the only way I can get the seat high enough is to have it rock hard with no travel.

Here's another one. Arm rests and joystick are so far back in the dark ages it's not even fit. It's hard to tell exactly how adjustable these are from the picture but trust me. You can slide, tilt, rotate, lift and articulate these armrests and joystick platforms until it's like they are not even there and you're in the most natural pose.
http://www.ponsse.com/gallery/albums/Cabin/cab_inside2.jpg

Plus you run the joysticks with your index finger and thumb, very little movement and almost every control is close enough that you don't ever have to move your hand, just a finger.

I think a fuel consumption gauges should be in the cab. Some excavators have lights to show you when you are using alot of fuel but I don't know why they can't just give the operators a bit of credit and show the actual consumption rate in litres or gallons per hour.

Deere has had this for a while now.

The heavier excavators will probably be made a bit easier to breakdown for transport. I saw an excavator once, Daweoo I think, that could pick up or drop its own counterweight. Seemed like a good idea.

Cat has this as an option, adds a cylinder in the back to lower it via chains. I think they are availible for the 345, 365 and 385.

 

[golfy]

hey bud... this might give u a few ideas!!!

YouTube - Volvo SFINX - Volvo's futuristic Excavator concept machine

for the others.. O&K/terex machines also have proximity sensors around the machine, and a little box incab has a series of lights and beeps on it, just to let you know how close you are to the face or trucks etc..

and they also have THE BEST air cons in the world.. 2 x sigma systems.. unreal!!

 

[tomgpasterik]

Thank you again

Thanks alot everyone you have def. helped out alot. i will begin to CNC and 3d model my concept excavator very soon due to the great input that you all have provided me with. Ill try to post as many pictures as possible.