Group 1
Mark, Phil, Iouri, Duy
PING PONG LAUNCHER
MIDTERM
MINOR DESIGN PROJECT
Introduction
Teams must design and build a ping pong launcher to
match the following criteria:
9 Must launch ball an overall distance of 2 meters while
clearing a 1 meter tall obstacle located 1 meter from the
launcher.
9 The ball needs to land in a container that is .3 meters in
diameter by .15 meters tall, located 2 meters from the
launcher.
9 The launcher cannot exceed 1 meter in height and must
be purely mechanical in nature.
Calculations
Calculations in Action
• Used guess and
check to find the
approximate values
for spring constant,
spring compression
distance, angle of
elevation and initial
velocity.
Final Calculations
Final Design
9 Our final design uses duel external springs to keep our
plunger rod centered in the body. This also gives a more
even distribution of movement.
9 Brass bushings reduces friction with the plunger rod and
help keep it in line.
9 Graphite lubricants further decrease friction between the
brass bushings and the rod.
Isometric View
Exploded View
Detailed Parts
Materials
Machine Work
Checking the Spring Constant
Bottle
Mass of
Bottle (g)
Spring at rest
Force (N) = Mass (g) * Acceleration (m/s²)
Spring constant (N/mm) = Force (N) / Distance (mm)
Spring
extended
Firing
Mechanism