Ping Pong Ball Launcher
Group 4
Drzewianowski, Kati
Hill, Jessica
Rembold, Matt
Winograd, Ted
The Matter at Hand
2001 ASEE National Design Competition
Ping-pong ball launching device
Fit within a 3ft x 3ft x 3ft cube (ready to
launch)
 Student produced and powered (no flames)
 Must launch one ball at a time
 Must hit target from 15, 20, and 25 feet
 Target is 3ft x 3ft at a 30 degree angle with an
18in diameter hole in the center

“So You Already Made It…”
Existing Ideas
Pitching devices
Tennis balls
 Baseballs

Children’s toys
Slingshots
 Nerf® guns

Catapults
Solution Proposals
Mouse trap
Rat trap
Spring launcher
Catapult
Air pump
Sling shot
Robot
Trained dog
Small child
Mouse and Rat Traps
A device powered by the spring and the
firing action of a household rodent trap
Spring constants and parabolic motion
would be calculated to make the firing
range and direction precise.
Spring Launcher
Spring powered barrel (similar to pinball
machine)
Directed through tubing
Angles adjustable for different distances
Spring constants and parabolic motion
would be calculated to make the firing
range and direction precise.
Catapult
Powered by source of tension (ex. Spring)
Button-released lever arm
Distance controlled by stopping lever arm
Air Pump
Powered by compressed air
Launched by releasing pressure
Directed through tubing
Sling Shot
Powered by bungee cords
Angles and pullback distance manually
adjustable
Spring constants and parabolic motion
would be calculated to make the firing
range and direction precise.
Keeping Our Priorities Straight
PercentageIm
portanceof DesignAttributes
$
Safety
Accuracy
Aesthetics
Adjustability & R
ange
Easein Production
Portability
Design Tolerance
Ease in O
peration
Analysis of Options
Adjustability
Ease in
Design
Aesthetics
& Range
Production Portability Tolerance
Ease in
Operation Totals
$
Safety
Accuracy
%
Importance
20
10
20
5
15
10
5
10
5
Mousetrap
8
3
1
2
1
4
9
5
7
4.1
Rattrap
7
1
1
2
1
4
9
5
7
3.7
Spring
Launcher
5
8
9
8
7
1
8
3
9
6.3
Catapult
4
8
7
7
2
1
8
6
7
5.1
Air pump
2
8
1
6
1
1
8
1
7
2.8
Sling-shot
8
8
7
7
7
9
7
10
8
7.9
The Final Decision
The Building of…
…Our Project
An Afterthought
Upon trial an aiming device became
necessary
Without Aimer
Launches
Miss
Hit
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
15 15 15 15 15 20 20 20 20 20 25 25 25 25 25
ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5 ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5 ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5
Trials
New & Improved!
A dowel with marked guidelines
customizes the launcher for this project
With Aimer
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Launches
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Miss
Hit
15 15 15 15 15 20 20 20 20 20 25 25 25 25 25
ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5 ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5 ft-1 ft-2 ft-3 ft-4 ft-5
Trials
Quantity
Dime ns ions
Product
Source
Cos t
6
¼” outer diameter, ¾”
long, 1/8” inner
diameter
Long
Wood
Screws
Home
Supplies
N/A
¼” diameter, 2”long,
1/8” inner diameter
Short
Wood
Screws
Included
with
Brackets
N/A
2’ long
Bungee
Cords
Home
Supplies
N/A
5 ½” x 2 5/8”
Cloth
Launch
Pad
Home
Supplies
N/A
Plywood
Platform
Lowe’s
$4.48
8
2
1
1
3
/8 ” diameter x 4’
length
1
3
4
6
1
3
23 /4 ”x23 /4 ”x /4 ”
3
1
3
1
3
18 x
3
/8 ”x 1
3
5” x
5
/4 ”
/8 ”x 2’
/8 ”
Standard Issue
3/8” diameter
Nails
Home
Supplies
Home
Supplies
Wooden
Stakes
Lowe’s
$2.34
Brackets
Lowe’s
$1.17
Ping-Pong
Balls
K-Mart
$1.79
Dowels
Lowe’s
$2.44
Dowels
Total
Cost
N/A
N/A
$12.22
Lights, Camera, ACTION!
If only…
With more time
Further research
 More precision and accuracy

With more money

Better/different materials
With more resources
Ability to compute trajectories
 Variety of tools allows wider range of materials

And yet…
Design advantages
Relatively inexpensive
 Flexibility in construction
 Adaptable to user preference
 Tolerance in dimensions
