Recipient Organization
WINDCALL MANUFACTURING, INC.
75345 RD 317
VENANGO,NE 69168
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Summary:The Phase I feasibility study proved the ability of the GrainGoat to replace a full-sized combine for the collection of grain for pre-harvest moisture testing with a potential savings to farmers and harvesters of $44M/day across the US during harvest season. The GrainGoat successfully harvested, threshed, and tested the moisture content in several crop varieties.Since the innovative GrainGoat is the only handheld machine that can harvest, thresh and moisture sample on the spot it is imperative that extensive educational outreach be performed. The GrainGoat is not a "better" mousetrap it is the "only" mousetrap whose existence must be made known to all in the grain industry around the world. Problem:Feedback from researchers testing the GrainGoat concluded the weight must be reduced prior to commercialization.Additionally, not every seed variety could pass through the current screen structure.Solution:Working with a design for manufacture engineer we confirmed changing the current aluminum parts to injected molded plastic would allow for a significant weight reduction, material cost reduction, number of parts reduction and assembly time reduction. Our goal is to reduce the weight by 50% or more. A new design for the screening process is currently underway. While working with the University of Nebraska Agronomy Department it was determined that a variant of the current model could easily be constructed from the same parts allowing researcher use in greenhouses, headrows, and test plots.After this Phase II research we will design the GrainGoat U model for university and seed researchers.Goals:Phase II financing will cover the screen changes,new CAD drawings and part design changes including the necessary plastic molds for injection molded parts. After field trials on the new design, the GrainGoat will be ready to go into full production. Investors have committed financial support for Phase III.Anticipated Results:Changes in design and manufacturing will produce a lighter weight machine with lower cost of production, faster assembly and rapid production of custom screens. Additional crop types will be compatible with the machine (i.e. soybeans, field peas, beans, rice etc.). The device (after successful Phase II research) will allow farmers to quickly sample any field, any time, to monitor moisture. University seed breeders will harvest test plots without cross contamination of varieties. Small grain farmers (369,000) in the U.S. will benefit from our device, as will small-scale foreign farmers using hand-harvesting methods. A worldwide market will be created. Manufacturing in the U.S. will generate jobs in rural areas.
Animal Health Component
35%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
0%
Applied
35%
Developmental
65%
Goals / Objectives
Goals / ObjectivesThis project has two major goals· Goal 1: Revise part designs and change material for the current prototype· Goal 2: Continued educational outreachGoal 1 Objectives:A. Make the top screen interchangeableB. Testing additional grain varietiesC. Reduce the weight of the machineD. Reduce the cost of productionE. Reduce assembly timeGoal 2 Objectives:A. Share our results with U.S. grain researchersB. Share our results with grain growers and harvestersC. Identify and contact a maximum number of seed breedersGoal 1: Revise part designs and change material for the current prototypeObjective A: Make top screen interchangeableThe lower screens are removable and new screens will be manufactured to allow the operator to insert the correct screen for the plant type being sampled. The current prototype requires the top screen to be manufactured from steel in order to serve as part of the structure of the machine. Phase II revisions will eliminate this part and replace it with a sub-framework allowing for plastic screens that are interchangeable to be inserted in its place. These screens will be manufactured out of rigid sheet plastic. Additionally, our research discovered the potential for harvesting dry edible beans. Screens will be developed for dry beans as well. With the purchase of an economical CO2 laser cutter (per our budget request in Phase II,) the adaptation of these screens will allow us to produce them onsite, same day, without the delay of ordering from other manufacturers. Our experience working with manufacturers indicates they require a four to six month window from CAD drawing to parts delivery.Objective B: Testing additional grain varietiesThe University of Nebraska extension office has agreed to allow us to test the GrainGoat on barley, oats, and any other small grain they may be growing in their test plots. Our ag-engineering consultant from the University of Arkansas Extension is working with us to find suitable rice fields for field trials.Objective C: Reduce the weight of the machineThe current prototype is constructed with 90% metal parts including aluminum and steel, the remaining 10%are plastic. As a result, the current prototype weighs twenty-five pounds. Our goal is to reduce the weight to approximately 12 pounds or less.Objective D: Reduce the cost of productionPhase I prototyping resulted in a cost of $875.00 for manufactured parts excluding the motors, wiring harnesses, and moisture meter. Converting the metal fabricated parts to plastic would significantly reduce production cost in a variety of ways. The average reduction in DFMA influenced cases is a savings of labor - 42%, assembly time - 60%, part count - 54%, and a total cost savings of 50%. (DFMA, Boothroyd Dewhurst 2017)Objective E: Reduce assembly timeAssembly of the current prototype from Phase I research takes one full day for one assembler in our facility. In Phase II, by reducing the number of parts, the number of orientations during assembly, and the quantity of fasteners (nuts, bolts, and screws) we feel we can substantially reduce assembly time to four hours. The DFMA software has modeled this scenario provided our parts are injection molded. If we outsource the assembly of the wiring harnesses so that they arrive ready to install, we can reduce the time to build one unit for one assembler to 90 minutes. Currently, we can produce one unit in one day, by switching to injection molding and outsourcing the wiring harnesses we would produce five units in one day per assembler.Goal 2: Continued Educational OutreachObjective A: Share our results with US grain researchersDr. Baenziger, head of UNL's Agronomy Department, will conduct additional research on his test plots and assist our development efforts by sending test results and recommendations to grain researchers at other universities. Dr. Baenziger has agreed to provide access to his 2017 thru 2019 test plots and greenhouse crops to perform field trials using our GrainGoat U prototype.Objective B: Share our results with grain growers and harvestersState extension services provide educational resources including classes, on-site tours, literature, and seminars to the farming public. We have received a strong commitment from the Nebraska extension office (see Letter of Commitment - Ben Dutton) to spearhead our public awareness initiatives. During Phase I, he proposed a statewide teleconference that would spotlight the GrainGoat on Backyard Farmer on Nebraska Educational Television (PBS). We decided to wait until the GrainGoat was closer to commercialization so this plan will be implemented closer to the beginning of Phase III. He did, however, connect us with a researcher from UNL who has been testing the GrainGoat's abilities in his test plots. Nebraska Extension has assisted with tradeshow selection based on attendance by small grain growers and harvesters. Total attendance of the five tradeshows already selected is estimated at 125,000 people. These events are venues for early adopters searching for new products and technologies that increase profitability. These combined forms of outreach will allow us to educate growers and harvesters with supporting data demonstrating the cost savings achievable by using our device in lieu of the current practices using full-sized equipment or hand harvesting. We will contact national and state grain associations who may provide us with opportunities to inform their membership through newsletters, or by speaking at their meetings. We will also seek access to their email mailing list. We will contact grain elevators to educate them about the device and encourage them to share the information with their growers. Informative material will be shared through social media, periodicals, and the U.S. Custom Harvesters conferences and monthly magazines.Objective C: Identify and contact a maximum number of seed breedersAfter the additional data from university trials has been collected and evaluated, results will be sent to seed breeders such as Monsanto, Bayer Crop Science, AgriPro, Limagrain, Arrow, etc. toward the end of Phase II research. In Phase I, we provided an educator and demo unit for key personnel for one of these companies. The results of their testing confirmed the desirability of a lighter weight unit consistent with our experience in conducting university research. They conduct the same field trial research as the university researchers; thus, their need for a handheld harvester is identical.
Project Methods
Methods: Our engineering consultants using DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) software allows us to prove the benefits of changing as many parts as possible from metal to plastic while maintaining the integrity of the machine.DMFA enables companies like Windcall Mfg., Inc. to evaluate their entire manufacturing process part-by-part. Every part of the GrainGoat has been weighed, sized, and evaluated for two considerations. One - what method and specific machinery is required to manufacture that part utilizing injection molded plastic with the summary costs of tooling and the reduced part cost at specific quantities (i.e. 500, 1000, 5000 pieces, etc.). Two - how are each parts of the GrainGoat handled during assembly and fastened to one another. This has resulted in part design changes allowing for less mechanical aptitude and dexterity from assemblers during the assembly process, which will enable units to be built more quickly, reducing assembly cost while achieving a higher level of quality control.New CAD drawings will be created and plastics companies will be interviewed to find the most suitable match for our needs. Every plastics manufacturer has specific qualifications as to individual tonnage and styles of plastic presses they use as well as the types of plastics they offer. Selecting the most appropriate plastics for use on the GrainGoat is crucial to the working lifespan of each unit and the cost of goods. Working with the plastics engineers, the new designs will be discussed and implemented.Evaluating the success of design changes in materials will be determined using the figures relating to decreasing production and assembly costs. These financial numbers will be determined before any proposed changes are implemented. Parts manufacturers and fabricators offer detailed quotes that must be accepted before any production can occur.Developing screen hole sizing for additional crops will be performed with in-house equipment purchased with Phase II grant money to reduce the time constraints of 6 weeks or more when changes are sent to outside manufacturing companies. We can reduce the time from field trials to screen changes to within hours of testing on the grain in the fields. Due to the seasonal nature of crop harvest a variety of anticipated screens for each crop must be manufactured prior to harvest. Our team will travel during the harvest season conducting field trial feasibility tests on each new screen being developed. Traditionally crop harvest is completed in each region of the U.S. in one or two weeks, making the window of opportunity for testing very narrow. However, Windcall Mfg., Inc. has successfully arranged for field trials in multiple regions of the U.S. allowing for more continuous demonstrations and equipment testing during the summer months.Once the new designs are put to use developing a newer version of our current prototype, we will begin the educational outreach once again with the new product. Demo models will be sent to a few selected individuals representative of our target audience. Advertisements and stories in farming periodicals, radio advertising, trade shows, field trial demos and lectures at farmers/harvesters conferences will take place. Our current website will include a section the dissemination of research performed into informative and useful information for our target audiences.We anticipate an increase in sales with the development and educational outreach for the revised product.