JAMES WU
DESIGN ENGINEER
16 / Research / Materials selection

Toy Slingshot Materials

A materials-selection study for a toy slingshot handle, combining mechanical constraints, a mass-minimising performance index, perceived material qualities and cost.

PROJECTToy Slingshot Materials
INDEPENDENT WORKMaterials and safety analysis
CONTEXTIndependent project
Engineering study
Material selection charts for a toy slingshotInspect full-size image ↗
FIG. 01Material screening and ranking for the physical product.
01 / OVERVIEW

The project in a minute.

THE OUTCOME

Selected wood after screening and comparing five shortlisted materials. The project is a selection exercise, not a certified toy product.

What supports this? ↓
The challenge
Choose a suitable material for a toy slingshot without reducing safety, process and cost to an afterthought.
Independent work
Materials and safety analysis. The report combines CES/Granta screening and an Ashby performance index with a semantic differential scale for the five shortlisted materials.
Read this in context
Materials-selection study combining engineering screening and perceived qualities. The final shortlist is a design recommendation, not a tested production product.
01CES / Granta02Ashby selection03Performance index
02 / THINKING

The choices behind the result.

Open a chapter to follow the work and the choices made along the way.

01 / DESIGN

Treat touch as a constraint

The material must support safe, repeatable physical handling.

Inspect the supporting evidence ↓
02 / ENGINEERING

Use traceable criteria

Ashby methods and Granta data make the down-selection reproducible.

Inspect the supporting evidence ↓
METHODS USEDCES / GrantaAshby selectionPerformance indexSemantic differential scaleCost comparison
03 / EVIDENCE

Results, and what they mean.

Materials-selection study combining engineering screening and perceived qualities. The final shortlist is a design recommendation, not a tested production product.

5

Shortlisted materials

Compared through mechanical performance, perceived qualities and cost.

Wood

Final selection

Chosen in the report as sufficient for the design requirements without overengineering.

Source notes & scope 1
  1. Materialise — A Customised Slingshotpp. 3–11

    Mechanical screening, performance index, semantic differential scale and final selection.

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