Requirements

Need Identification:
As a team we need to reinvent the existing 40 cooler in order to offer a product that has numerous extra features and maintains a competitive price. The company is experiencing a few problems with the existing coolers. One, a too high percentage of the coolers are showing up defective. These defects manifest themselves in a couple different forms such as bumps, divets, loose latches, misaligned seals, and flawed drain plugs.Secondly, the existing 40 quart coolers has components that are exposed rather than recessed into the cooler body. This leads to large stress concentrations developing in the latches and handles. After considering these unsatisfactory elements, the client needs a 40 quart sized ice chest that yields low uncertainties in the manufacturing process and provides the features and price that appeal to most customers.

Problem Statement:
The ideal goal is to produce a 40-quart cooler that shares quality with the best models in the market but at a reduced price. Realistically the cooler will not be able to achieve the peak level of quality while maintaining a low target price. This translates to restricted use of higher quality (more expensive) materials throughout the design process.

Latch Design CAD Drawing: