Events

Lift truck operators spend the majority of their on-shift time buckled into the seat of their lift truck, or more commonly known as a forklift. Because the lift truck is continuously in motion, any items that the operator may need or want to use during the course of their shift must be located within arms reach. A few examples of commonly desired items are personal phones, clipboards, pens, measuring tapes, tin snips and box knives. If the operator does not have quick and easy access to the needed items, they must leave the seat of the lift truck to track the item down, which decreases the operation time of the lift truck, leading to increased costs for the employer. Hyster-Yale Materials Handling located in Fairview, Oregon employed the Capstone team with hopes in creating a storage container and writing surface combination that would be appropriately suited for a forklift without hindering driver or vehicle operations. Because of this, size constraints needed to be considered so that driver visibility would not be impaired and daily checks can still be completed without having to remove the enclosure from the forklift. The goal of the project was to successfully implement a comfortable, compact enclosure that would also be able to attach a full-sized clipboard. With the addition of this enclosure, forklift operators will have storage for their tools in an easy to reach, visible location that will prevent them from misplacing their belongings. The shape of the enclosure will also provide a large flat surface where operators can keep their papers and clipboards. To mitigate manufacturing challenges, the team conducted multiple analyses, jury evaluations, and prototype iterations while working closely with one of Hyster-Yale's test engineers. This process allowed the team to provide Hyster-Yale with all the necessary information regarding the design process which they can use to manufacture the product at a much cheaper cost then what the team would have been able to do.