Bladed Shredder Cost Analysis

Question: Will the team be able to utilize a shredded roller design and stay within in MSD budget?

Background: A major design decision for the shredder is the type of material to use for parts that come
in contact with the breadfruit. After talking with experts, the team has some idea of what materials
would be appropriate. We are looking for something that can be hardened and is tough to last the life of
the product. We also want something that won't rust or otherwise contaminate the food. Since the
budget is relatively low, a cost analysis was done to make sure the team could afford the materials we
are looking into (stainless steels). If not, the team will need to resort to a backup design or petition for a
higher budget.

Assumptions:

1. Donations will not be obtained

2. Water-jetting will cost $95/hr
3. Average prices used through internet search for raw materials
a. Trying to make a conservative estimate
4. Scrap steel or Al will be used for prototyping (No cost)
5. Unknown exactly what material to use for final product
6. 7 linear inches of cutting teeth desired (7” of the shaft)
7. 4” diameter blades desired
8. 3/8” thickness of blades
9. 1.25” diameter shaft

Tools used:

Solid works, calculator, simple calculations for area of rectangle and circle

Analysis:

Number of blades needed:

3
7 ÷ 8 = 18.667 (1)

Therefore, 18 blades in order to allow some clearances

From equation 1 and a quick CAD design to be water-jetted (assume circular blanks of 4in in diameter
will be cut)

Need a
blank of 13”
x
25.75”

Material Cost for 13”x25.75” Cost Size of blank

316 Stainless Steel $428.48
Acetal Delrin FDA - $113.22 24”x24”
4140 Steel (can be ordered) $59.87 12”x12”
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=4511&step=4&showunits=inches&id=325&top_cat=0
http://www.eplastics.com/-375-x-24-x-24-Blue-FDA-Acetal-Sheet
http://www.speedymetals.com/ps-1157-160-38-4140-hot-rolled-as-rolled-plate.aspx

Equations 2-4 used for better comparison:

𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 $428.48
For 316 SS: = 13∗25.75 = $1.28/𝑖𝑛2 (2)
𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑐ℎ

𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 $113.22
For Delrin: 𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑐ℎ
= 24∗24
= $0.20/𝑖𝑛2 (3)

𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 $59.87
For 4140: 𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑐ℎ
= 12∗12
= $0.42/𝑖𝑛2 (4)

Preliminary Conclusion:

We know 4140 Steel is not a viable option based on another feasibility analysis. We are unsure if plastic
will have the properties we need (especially in terms of fatigue) to make the machine work. 316
stainless steel would be an option, however it is difficult to machine, cannot be hardened, and
expensive. After talking with Rob, he suggested 416 stainless to get the hardenability desired as well as
being food grade (in this case, medical grade).
Further Analysis for 416 Stainless Steel:

416 is a relatively cheap stainless alloy that is able to be hardened and easily machined. It is also
magnetic, which may be useful for manufacturability. 416 SS however, is not easily welded and it is not
as corrosion resistant as other alloys. For our purposes, the corrosion resistance should not be an issue
because our design is not in an overly harsh corrosive environment (such as an acid bath); at most, it will
be exposed to a wet environment.

After talking with several companies who claimed to have 416 plates, it appears plate is nearly
impossible to find. Another way to manufacture the blades would be to cut them from round stock
(which is much more readily available). This can be done on a CNC mill (this could be through the
Brinkman lab or self-supported by the team).

Shredder Pricing

Material Cost
4in Diameter Round Stock – 18” Length $176.03

1.25in Diameter Round Stock – 18” Length $16.16

4 Stainless Steel FDA-Grade Ball Bearing $24.28 each (~$100 total)

A-36 Steel Bar stock – 0.5”x4”x48” Length (Housing) $43.95

18” - 304 Stainless Steel 1.5” OD x 1.26” ID (spacer) $20.34

2 Steel Gears – 1.25” Pitch diameter, 0.5” wide $21.04 each (~$43)

Total ~ $400
http://www.speedymetals.com/ps-1358-91-4-rd-416-stainless-steel-cold-finished-annealed.aspx
http://www.speedymetals.com/ps-1344-91-1-14-rd-416-stainless-steel-cold-finished-annealed.aspx
http://www.mcmaster.com/#4648k15/=ucjwqo
http://www.speedymetals.com/pc-4089-8214-12-x-4-a-36-1020-hot-rolled-steel.aspx
http://www.speedymetals.com/pc-4486-8276-1-12-od-x-120-wall-tube-304-stainless-steel-annealed.aspx
http://www.mcmaster.com/#5172t13/=uck21g

Total: $400 with no tax, shipping, assume perfect estimates of amount material, no hopper, no stands,
no crank handle/lever, and NO SAFTEY MARGIN

Conclusions:

This preliminary feasibility report shows that cost may be an issue for our team. Food grade materials
are driving up our cost. Right now, with a budget at $625; even a minimum price of $400 for the
shredder will leave only $225 left for the grinder, breadfruit, handle/crankshaft and components, base
stand on, etc.

The only other viable material the team has come up with is Delrin plastic (as the 316 stainless plate
would be more expensive than the 416 round stock). This will be one topic of analyses going forward.

Analysis needed:

 justify durability of 416 for blades and shaft

 show whether plastic will be viable or not for blades
 Determine where we need food grade (hopefully lower cost with less food grade)
 justify thickness of blades
 justify number of blades
 justify diameter of blades
 complete BOM for entire system

Moving forward:

Complete feasibility of 416 and plastic and present to expert (to check calculations) and to Rob for
advice.

Petition for more money for project (if Sarah thinks our BOM is good enough for that)

Authors:
Samantha Huselstein
Andrew Beckmann