HTS Hand Truck Sentry System

The problem: 1. Hand trucks fall off delivery vehicles. 2. Hand Trucks are stolen from delivery vehicles. 3. Hand trucks are left at delivery locations. Carl, the inventor of the HTS Ultra-Rack, came up with the solution. We worked with Carl to transform his vision into a great product. It began with his sketches that were transformed into 3-D models using Pro-Engineer software. In fact, CAD images were e-mailed to Carl and throughout the design process, he sketched on the images and e-mail them back. In this way, we completed this project with only a few meetings and no wasted paper. We used off the shelf metal locks, sensors, and actuators to keep assembly costs low. We also specified custom springs and recommended a manufacturer for those springs. The main frame is run in a 1000 ton injection molding machine. We specified all standard fasteners. We also provided a complete Bill of Materials, assembly instructions, Drill templates for mounting, and part number drawings for customer ordering. We completed the mold design utilizing many cammed holes, so that secondary operations are not needed. Of course, even the best designed parts may have problems when manufactured. We worked quickly, suggesting cooling fixtures after molding to eliminate bowing in one part. Through every step of this product design, we worked with the inventor, the molder, and the mold maker to create a great product that can be made as easily as possible while providing the best quality.