Defining Requirements and Building the Bill of Materials

Defining Requirements and Building the Bill of Materials

During this phase of the project, the entire team worked together on two key components:
the requirements and architecture document and the Bill of Materials (BoM) for the prototype.

This was a crucial step to ensure that our solution is both technically feasible and aligned with real-world constraints.

1. Requirements and System Architecture (March 11 – March 17)

During this time interval, we collaboratively developed a document that defines the core structure of our system.

In this document, we included:

  • A clear problem definition and identification of target users
  • Functional requirements, such as part removal, computer vision-based quality control and automated print cycles
  • Non-functional requirements, including cost constraints, reliability, latency and scalability
  • A high-level system architecture, centered around a Raspberry Pi acting as the main controller
  • The data flow, from image acquisition to decision-making and actuation
  • A decomposition into subsystems, covering hardware, software and mechanical integration

This document allowed us to align the entire team around a shared technical vision of the project.

2. Bill of Materials (BoM) (March 18 – March 24)

In this phase, we focused on defining the Bill of Materials for the prototype.

Our goal was to ensure a low-cost and accessible solution, while still meeting all system requirements.

The BoM includes components such as:

  • Raspberry Pi for central processing
  • Cooler to keep the Raspberry Pi from overheating
  • Camera and lighting system for computer vision
  • Linear actuator for print bed flexion
  • Power supply and other electrical components

A key design principle was to prioritize off-the-shelf components, making the system easier to assemble, maintain and scale.

Conclusion

These documents we ellaborated were essential to transform our initial idea into a structured and actionable plan.

By defining both the requirements and the materials needed, we created a solid foundation for the next stage: the development and implementation of the AutoPrint prototype.