NSF-Funded Student Design Projects:
Paper Cutter/Switch Operated Press Compatible with the Ellison Die Embossing System

Designers: Robert Chen, Ahmad Hammoud, Vlad Iliescu, Jose Mabesa Jr., and Mohamed Mansour
Client Coordinators: Kathy Vordburg, Kennedy Center in Pontiac, Michigan and Cathy McQuillan, Torrent Center, Jackson, Michigan.
Supervising Professors: Dr. Robert Erlandson, Enabling Technologies Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dr. Eugene Rivin, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202
 

INTRODUCTION
The Ellison Embossing System consists of a press fitted with steel dies that make paper cutouts which teachers use for various classroom activities. While the Ellison press itself isn’t expensive, the complete die set is expensive; thus making it difficult for each school to own a complete system.  So it is common practice for a school district to have only one complete embossing system, which is usually kept at the school district headquarters.  In order to use it, teachers must invest additional time after school hours to travel to the facility and use the press.  Teachers at the Torrent Center, Jackson, Michigan have created a unique program that eliminates this problem while providing special education students with meaningful work.  The Kennedy Center in Pontiac, Michigan wants to create a similar program.

The Torrrent Center in Jackson, Michigan and the Kennedy Center in Pontiac, Michigan are special education schools for students with both physical and cognitive disabilities. Torrent Center teachers have created a well-received program that provides district-wide embossing services.  Now teachers in the Jackson School District can order cutouts and have them delivered to their classrooms. Unfortunately, there are problems with the embossing system because it is not designed for users with cognitive and/or physical handicaps.

The hand-operated Ellison press is difficult to use for all but the most able-bodied students. Students place pre-cut paper in the press, then place a die on top and push down on a lever that applies force on the die and cuts through the paper.  Many students find it difficult to align the paper and die within the press.  Exerting the necessary amount of force onto the lever to cut the paper is also problematic for the more physically impaired students.  The staff at both centers wishes to create a process that can be expanded to include students with more severe physical and/or cognitive disabilities. They wish this process to support independent student work.

Objectives of the Paper Cutter/Switch Operated Press Compatible with the Ellison Die Embossing System project are to create a process that supports students with a broader spectrum of physical and cognitive abilities and which enables them to work as independently as possible.

SUMMARY OF IMPACT
The prototype device has been field-tested at the Kennedy Center, in Pontiac, Michigan. The device was very well received by both students and staff.  The device was used from December 2000 to May 2001.  For the field-testing, students used the device to produce cut-outs for teachers at the Kennedy Center.  In May a student performed a series of actions that caused the device to jam and require repair.  The repair was made and the device modified so that this situation would not be repeated. The repaired, modified device was delivered to the Torrent Center in Jackson Michigan and it has been operational there since July 2001.
 

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

The Switch Operated Press Compatible with the Ellison Die Embossing System is designed to incorporate redundant mechanical and electrical safety systems.

Mechanical safety design considerations include the following:

• Systems that isolate the innards of the press from unauthorized physical contact.
• Systems that prevent the tray from being pulled out while the press is in operation.
• Systems that act as a physical barrier to the press which prevent injury should students place their hands or some other body part within the path of the press.

Electrical safety design considerations include the following:

• Systems that prevent the press from operating while the tray is pulled out.
• Clearly visible visual systems that indicate the operational status of the press.
• Systems that prevent accidental static discharge from activating the motor.
• An activation button that can be placed at a safe distance from the press.

The system consists of the following:  reversible AC motor with thermal protection, screw press, plastic drawer plate, electrical and mechanical safety features, control box, and Plexiglas casing.

The system uses a reversible AC motor with thermal protection. Thermal protection is required so that the motor will shut down without being burned out in case the system experiences a jam.  Reversible action is required because the press first moves down to cut the paper and then moves up; this change in direction must occur without interruption.

Two major safety features, one electrical and one mechanical, ensure that if one fails the other works.  First, a safety switch turns on when the drawer is completely closed and turns off when the drawer is pulled out.  This switch ensures that the motor cannot run and the press cannot move when the drawer is open.  Second, a steel pin extends down from the ram plate, which fits in a small hole drilled in the wooden part of the drawer.  As the press goes down, the pin locks the drawer preventing it from being opened.  The drawer does not open until the press reaches its most upper position.

Incorporating an activation switch eliminates the need for students to physically push or pull on a handle; instead, students simply press a button. The system accepts the full range of switches used in a special education environment.  Enclosing the press in Plexiglas casing ensures that fingers and hands stay clear of the press at all times.

Loading the paper and die no longer involves squeezing them into the press. With the new design, students use the handle to pull out the tray, load the paper, place the die sideways on top of the paper, and push the tray back in.  This process is reversed to remove the paper and die once the press makes the cut-out.