Tile Cutter Profile Car

Project Goals

Design a rail mounted ceiling tile cutter for a construction company
Should be adjustable for various tile types and heights
Can reliably work on 24” X 24” tiles and 48” X 48” tiles
Uses custom blades as a consumable product
Must be mass manufacturable
Challenges

Getting consistent cuts on various tile types due to the varying materials
Securing the cartridge to the rails with little to no movement for consistent cuts
Simplifying parts to be easily assembled
Providing multiple configurations with limited amount of parts required
Results

Created a mass producible design that satisfied the clients needs
Provided ergonomic UI that was easy to use
Successfully held blades in place and provided full and even cuts to the toughest of tiles

First Prototype

Design Intent

Tested the blades for consistent profile cuts and to see how stock rails would perform

Results

Blades were not securely held to cartridge

movement in X and Y directions led to inconsistent cuts

Second Prototype

Design Intent

Resolved movement issues with a new drop-down method with inserted parts that could be oriented in multiple ways to adjust the height with the same parts

Used thumb screws to secure device from the top down
Thumb screws to secure internal cartridges laterally
doesn’t require as tight tolerancing for each part due to lock down method

Used custom rails for a more secure alignment

Each component of the assembly with multiple drop down parts that locked in with pins and thumb screws
Fully assembled design that fits in flush with the top surface for a cleaner experience. Proof of concept step before reaching a more refined and higher fidelity product