Black & Decker Jigsaw JS515

Machine Autopsy Report

Erica Chin 16 September 2011 ENGR 3330 Mechanical Design

Product Overview

The Black & Decker jigsaw (Model # JS515), as shown in Figure 1, has several key features that appeal specifically to homeowners, hobbyists, and amateur craftsmen. From Amazon reviews1, the tool appears to be ideal to this market segment due to its convenience and low cost not its precision.

Figure 1. The JS515 holds features especially attractive to hobbyists.

Features. The use of plastic covers as a chassis contributes to the

jigsaws lightweight of 4.66 lb and expected low price. As for convenience, one of the covers contains an on-board blade storage that is magnetic and holds up to three blades, shown in Figure 2. As boasted on B&Ds website2, the jigsaw can accept both U and T shank blades; switching blades (shown in Figure 3) is toolless and intuitive, a particular favorite feature of the Amazon hobbyists. Figure 2. on-board blade storage
1

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-JS515-Variable-Jigsaw/dp/B001CL4ZHK http://www.protoolreviews.com/reviews/power-tools/corded/saws-routers/jigsaw-black-decker-JS515 http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tools-hardware-power-tools-saws-jig-saws/black-decker-4-5-amp-jig-saw-178203.html 2 http://www.blackanddecker.com/power-tools/JS515.aspx

Figure 3. Tool-free switching of blades. Instructions from manual: - Hold the saw blade (9) as shown, with teeth facing forward. - Push the lever (3) downwards. - Insert the shank of the saw blade into the blade holder (10) as far as it will go. - Release the lever The jigsaw is able to cut through wood, metal, and plastics with its 4.5 Amp motor that transmits power to the blade through a scotch yoke mechanism (Figure 4). As noted by one Amazon reviewer, such a motor is not the most powerful, and may not fit the needs of professional craftsmen.

Figure 4. Scotch yoke mechanism Control options available to customers include 45o angle bevel cuts- achieved by shoeplate adjustment (Figure 5), variable speeds up to 3,000 spm achieved by the degree to which the trigger is depressed, and a SIGHTLINE Channel that is supposedly helpful in guiding cuts. No orbital action is achievable with this jigsaw. Other features include a fan to maintain cutting visibility and a 6 ft. power cord for maneuverability.

Figure 5. Instruction manuals directions for shoeplate adjustment needed in bevel cuts.

Figure 6. Compliance symbols

Compliance. Online specifications and the sticker on the back cover indicate that the jigsaw is ETL, CSA (Canadian Standards Association), NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana), and ANCE (Asociacin Nacional de Normalizacin y Certificacin del Sector Elctrico) listed; the jigsaw follows the safety regulations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Estimated Retail Price. Given the market segment, for an average household, I would expect that families would be willing to spend between $35-55 on the jigsaw. I estimated a price range instead of

a single price because online stores are usually cheaper, even with shipping costs, than department stores and sometimes hardware stores. I would expect the jigsaw to be in the $30s because of its plastic aesthetics. *I estimated the price of the jigsaw before I did any research on it. Estimated Annual Volume. According to the 2009 census, there are 307,006,550 Americans, 53% of which are in the working class according to Wikipedia. In my high school the percentage of students taking hands-on classes was roughly around 2.5%. I assumed that 3 out of 10 people interested in crafts would buy the model based on Amazon reviews. I also assumed that all guesses were overestimates since people are unlikely to buy multiple units within a short amount of time. I expected that the overestimates would account for the customers in Canada and Mexico. I then cut the product of the previous numbers in half arbitrarily to account for physical and bureaucratic limitations and delays. The final number comes out to roughly 610,000 units.

Engineering Review

DOF. There are two rotational degrees of freedom one from the fan, motor, and the hinge in the on-board blade storage and one DOF from the scotch yoke linkage and shoeplate. There are also two translational degrees of freedom. The blade and the trigger translate on one axis and the locking mechanism translates on another. Structure, Transmission & Power. Most of the structure is provided by the plastic housing. Acting like base plates or a framework of sorts, the internal ribs in each plastic shell helps to position the majority of the components; the motor rests in a U-structure created by the ribs in the shell. Screws are positioned by bosses that are occasionally strengthened by gussets. The transmission, as mentioned earlier, is the scotch yoke mechanism that converts the rotational motion supplied by the power of an AC motor into the linear motion of a blade.

Figure 7. Transmission and power

Design Strengths and Weaknesses. The jigsaws design strengths can be seen in its tool-free mechanism for switching blades, blade storage, and easy disassembly which allows users to easily replace parts that can easily be ordered online3. The placement of the vents is a mystery to me. I am not convinced that the holes would (a) vent well or (b) keep debris out. I am also uncertain about the necessity for the glob of grease towards the blade end of the housing as indicated in Figure 1. Additionally, the purpose of the headspace (indicated by the black arrow in Figure 8a) appears either unnecessary or present for aesthetics sake.
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http://servicenet.dewalt.com/Products/Detail/JS515

Although easily used, the jigsaw also frustrates some users due to the solid opaque shoeplate, which obstructs the cutting path according to several users online. The locking mechanism, the circular black button as seen on the cover page, limits the tool to right-handed users. The 6 foot cord is also an impediment to some, who would prefer to work with batteries since cords can be a safety hazard at times. Quality/Failure Modes. The part has no protection against water, so the product can easily fail due to a short. Incorrect speed settings for the material being cut can break the blade. Dulled blades or dirtied cutting blades can also become stuck and jam within the material being cut. If the screws become loose, the plastic cover will fail to serve as support and protection from the elements. Friction between the gears may also cause the gears to wear.

Part

a
Figure 8. (a) Back cover of jigsaw (b) material information (located where the blue arrow is in a) (c) witness lines

Overview. The back cover of the jigsaw was constructed from polyamide or PA6 with 30% glass fibres as indicated in Figure 8b. Im guessing that based on the witness lines (Figure 8c), the cover was made through injection molding. The channels that direct air flow also serve as ribs/support.

The choice of material for the casing seems appropriate based on material properties such as high dimensional stability. Critical Dimensions. As mentioned earlier, if the screws are not fastened properly, the two covers will not be aligned properly. Consequently, the placement of at least three bosses is critical; if the covers are improperly aligned, the ribs may fail to correctly position or rub against internal components. Therefore other essential dimensions include all features tangent to the motor and blade. Some leeway could be found in the ribs around the switch since a jiggling switch will not affect the tools performance as much as a jiggling blade. Unique Features. The panhead machine screws used to secure the plastic housing have an interesting drive pattern as shown in Figure 9. The choice of a nonstandard pattern is not apparent, especially since the pattern appears to be a combination of slotted and torx.

Financial Review

Figure 9. Standard screw drive

Estimated Cost of Goods Sold. If shipping and packaging is $1.00 due to the cardboard box, and the labor and overhead is $2.00 per box, then the total cost per jigsaw would be roughly $19. Features vs. Cost. The two year warranty will raise the COGS. However, most of the cost stemming from the warranty will probably be due to customer service labor costs since the replacement parts did not appear to be too expensive. Since the number of returns should be relatively low, the cost of the warranty will probably tack on another dollar to the total cost. Estimated Company Profit. If the average price per unit is $40 and the total cost is $20, then the profit per unit is roughly $20. On an annual basis, if 610,000 units are sold each year, then Black & Decker should earn around $12 million a year. Solidworks Part. On box.net.

Bill of Materials
Part Name
Structure General Housing Front Plastic Casing Back Plastic Casing On-board Blade Storage Bevel Top Plate Bottom Plate Fasteners panhead machine screws, 1.5"5 panhead machine screws, 0.6" panhead machine screws, 0.4" Trigger Mechanism Buttons Casing Power Motor Motor Connectors Transmission Transmission Shaft Linkage Saw Blade Locking Lever Blade Clamp Base Torsion Springs Screws Sliders Spur Gear Large Helical Gear Small Ball Bearing Large Ball Bearing Fan Machined Block 1 Machined Block 2 Machined Plate TOTAL:

Material

Qty

Est. Cost

Sub Total

PA6/GF304 PA6/GF30 PA6/GF30 Steel Steel steel with black oxide steel with black oxide steel with black oxide ABS ABS Steel, Plastic, Copper Coil PP Steel Steel PA6/GF30 Steel Steel Steel Steel Steel Steel Steel Steel Nylon Steel Steel Steel

1 1 1 1 1 2 8 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

0.05 0.05 0.02 1.00 1.00 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.10 0.10 8.00 0.15 1.00 0.10 0.01 0.75 0.01 0.01 0.05 1.00 1.50 0.50 0.50 0.01 0.25 0.25 0.25

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

0.05 0.05 0.02 1.00 1.00 0.04 0.16 0.02 0.10 0.10 8.00 0.30 1.00 0.10 0.01 0.75 0.02 0.02 0.10 1.00 1.50 0.50 0.50 0.01 0.25 0.25 0.25 17.10

http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en_GB/news-and-media-relations/news-releases/news-releases-usa/P-10-0060 http://www.merrem-materials.com/uploads/File/Kunststoffen/PA6_GF30_black.pdf 5 http://www.seekpart.com/company/35664/products/201112114518695.html