Design Disassembly

The project we had was to disassemble an everyday appliance. From this we then had to identify the materials and come up with some improvements. The appliance we were given was an iron.

We first started by timing to see how fast we could disassemble the iron. It took really long as we had to find special screwdrivers to unscrew the main housings. Once that was done we then proceeded to disassemble the internal components. This was very difficult as most of the plastic parts were ultra-sonic welded. We managed to pry and break our way through the internal components. 

We realised that the iron had many more parts than we originally thought, and hence it was taking us longer than expected. Eventually we got there, and asked to cut the heat plate in half so that we could see all the internal channels. 

From this we gathered that the iron was made in many parts with numerous materials. Our suggestion was to limit the amounts of material used by making some if the similar parts in the same material (i.e. having all the housings as a uniform polypropylene). This allows it to be recycled better as less needs to be done to separate the parts by their material properties.

We also suggested that it could be easier to disassemble, but upon further thinking the iron is probably an appliance that doesn't need users to access it's internals, as it can be dangerous.

 As designers, if we can eliminate the types of materials used and make it easier for consumers to recycle, we are helping to reduce that going into land-fill as well as increasing people's awareness of the need to recycle what we can.

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Rationale: Product Service System

My product service system is a public sunscreen dispenser, located at beaches and parks with high traffic. The problem I found is that people often leave their personal sunscreen at home, therefore have to buy more or just go without it all together.
Tubes also become sandy if left at the beach and can then become very irritating to apply. Not everyone is fully aware of the importance of sun safety or the harsh nature of UV radiation.

Users interact with the systems LCD touch screen. It has information such as the days UV index and an instructional tutorial on how to correctly apply sunscreen. Users press the button to dispense 30mL of sunscreen (recommended amount by the Cancer Council of Australia) to apply to their body.

The system is sponsored by local shops, who in turn get advertising from the product. This is to compensate those businesses that may lose out due to the system providing free sunscreen (e.g. local chemists or pharmacies).

The system is serviced by local councils, who are also employed to remove garbage around parks and beaches. The worker unlocks the system and lifts the front case to open. They then replace the bottles and close and lock the system.

The sunscreen chosen is zinc based. This is to cater for those with sensitive skin as the zinc sits on top of the skin and doesn't induce irritation. It is also SPF30+ broad spectrum blend meaning it offers very high protection against UV radiation. It's Paraben free. Parabens are preservatives used in pharmaceuticals. They mimic estrogen and can lead to cancer.

The designed refill bottle can hold 2 litres and therefore close to 70 pumps can be issued before it needs to be refilled. From the ground, the system is 1200mm high to minimise vandalism (i.e. young children continuously pressing the dispenser button). It's also at a comfortable height for users to operate and interact with the touch system.

The main housings are made from polycarbonate. This is due to it's properties of being high strength (needed since system is situated outdoors), it is highly UV resistant (exposed to the sun on a regular basis), and has a high temperature range (can withstand high temperatures that it is exposed to in the outdoors).

Product Service System: Model Photos

Product Service System: Presentation Boards

Video Reflection: Who killed the electric car

'Who Killed the Electric Car' is a documentary which explores the complex set of events around the development and demise of the modern electric car. "Who killed the electric car" portrays a great example of how money and greed seem to rule the way we live our lives. The first electric cars were built in the early 20th century, but became economically unviable compared to machines with internal combustion engines. However later in the century, they made a brief re-appearance as new technologies developed. 

The documentary made it obviously clear that governments, oil companies and large car manufacturers did not want the electric car to take off as they believed that it would not be a profitable option, at least in the short term. Legislations were made and fought in regards to the electric car, but ultimately it was the car manufacturers and oil companies that won, due to their sheer size and increased influence they had in certain government administrations. Car companies used poor technology as a scapegoat to help deter consumers from purchasing electric cars over their other models, arguing that using coal for electric vehicle power would produce worse emissions than using petroleum. General Motors even went so far as to install what they knew were inferior parts into the cars, so that they had a bad stigma attached to them.

Howewver the documentary isnt all doom and gloom, as towards the end it does portray a world in which the electric car is becoming more prominent. Higher oil prices, further entanglements in the Middle East and the increasing threat of global warming are increasing the pressure to reduce dependence on crude oil, and thus look into alternative methods such as electric cars. Many companies are adapting to change to build new car and energy alternatives. Smaller car companies are producing specialist vehicles such as the Tesla and others are doing their own conversions of gas cars to electric or hybrids to plug-in hybrids.

Overall my three take-home messages are:

• Money and oil are such powerful commodities that their rarity and existence has enormous influence into the political decisions made in the world, which is not always a good thing
•  People are becoming more environmentally conscious in the 20th and 21st centuries, as they can feel and see the effects of global warming and other natural phenomenon's
•  The electric car may have been 'killed off' in the past, but it is now re-emerging, bigger and better than ever with large companies now more willing to put electric cars into production at a larger scale

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Rationale - Mighty Vites

Mighty Vites is a multi-vitamin dispenser for kids aged between three and twelve, though it can be used by higher ages. Its main strengths are that it is a compact dispensing unit that allows the user (whether it be parent or child) to easily dispense a multi-vitamin capsule. Many of today's children's multi-vitamins come in large bottles. This has some potential flaws such as it can be difficult for the child to dispense the correct dosage. They usually tip the bottle and numerous capsules come out which creates excessive waste. The Mighty Vites dispensing unit uses a push trigger that only allows one capsule to be dispensed at a time, hence reducing the risk of wastage and creating greater control on the dosage levels administered “One of the biggest concerns with an overdose on children's chewable multivitamins is the sudden increase in iron intake. Iron acts as a poison when consumed in large amounts.” - Jill Armayor, Master of Science in Exercise and Sports Nutrition.

Bottles also make it difficult to access the last of the capsules remaining as most adult hands cannot fit inside the small opening of the neck. The trigger system allows all the capsules to easily dispense through the correct cavities, hence removing the need to reach in and struggle to access the last of the capsules. Mighty Vites is also refillable by using standard multi-vitamin bottles. The deep lip recess on one side allows existing bottles to neatly sit on the body, hence making it easier to refill the dispenser whilst eliminating wastage as the capsules fall into the body. The main body has an internal angled ledge that points down to a cavity. The ledge guides capsules into the cavity where the capsules are stored, waiting to be dispensed. When the push trigger is activated, the two cavities align therefore releasing the capsule to be consumed.

To keep costs down and to make manufacturing simpler, Mighty Vites comes in three different parts: the main body, cap and push trigger. All parts are made from polypropylene as its qualities are ideal for a pharmaceutical product. It is non-toxic, odourless and is food safe making it an ideal choice as the base material for Mighty Vites. The main body is to be coloured Paris White while the cap and push trigger are Indigo Flare. The colour choice was aimed to appeal neutrally to both parents and children, as well as males and females hence making it unisex. This was so that it seemed attractive to either denomination and did not appeal to one more than the others. The turtle as the mascot is there to resemble longevity and strength, as turtles are generally well renowned for living over extended periods of time. All parts are injection moulded to reduce costs in manufacture, labour and transportation.

Cormack Project: Presentation Boards

Cormack Project

Issues, difficulties or problems observed from focus group:

• holding incorrectly
• more user benefits (supermarkets & sustainability)
• look at children's perspective (used by kids or adults?)
• material choice (ecofriendly vs recycle)
• quotes on researches, more authentic
• prevent overdose
• good size
• not clear whether used by kids or parents
• is trigger action easy for kids to use
• make it clear it's used by parents to give to kids (prevent overdose & wastage)

Strategies for addressing the issues found:

• have clearer graphics on how product is held & who the main users are
• find some quotes from experts emphasizing benefits (ie importance of vitamins for kids)
• have a poster explaining how it will be presented in store & show the sustainability benefits
• create a brand graphics to make it more appealing to children
• CAD drawings to fully explain the mechanism functions & how each part relates to one another

Video Reflection: An Inconvinient Truth

An Inconvenient truth looks at today's modern environmental crisis that is global warming. Al Gore (former US Presidential candidate) gives us his insight and personal vendetta into his lifelong commitment to try and reverse the effects of global warming, as well as bring to attention the rapid and detrimental side effects the Earth is enduring as a result. Throughout the video, Mr Gore brings up an array of facts and information about global warming. These facts while confronting, are delivered and presented in such a way that the audience feels more moved to act upon the issue that be frightened of it. Essentially his underlying message is simple. We need to act now to prevent the growth of global warming, or else the Earth will suffer. Future generations won't be able to experience first hand the beauty that is nature and the wilderness. And why? Because we at this present time,  didn't do enough to prevent it.

It is important for industrial designers to see this video so that may fully understand the impacts our profession has on the earth as a whole. Some could argue that it us as designers that contributed most to global warming, with our eagerness to expand and revolutionise the way we live our lives. The only way to make a designers ideas a reality is to use resources to make it happen. We needed minerals to convert into materials to build our ideas and thoughts, so in a way it's up to us as designers to ensure that we contribute less to impacts of global warming, whether it be through our design or manufacturing processes. It is quite confronting to see that studies are showing an exponential rise in ocean temperatures, the disappearance of glaciers and the melting of the poles. The US Geological Survey predicts that by 2030, Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left. In the last 30 years, 400,00 square miles of Arctic sea ice have melted; polar bears today drown when they cannot find ice to rest on.

Three take home messages that came out of the video are:

1.       We need to act now to prevent further implications of global warming. We can't say we'll do it later as there will be no later. The time to act is now!

2.       We need to convince governments to do more to combat global warming. Not just at an international lever, but also a domestic communal level. Every little bit we can do helps tremendously in the long run.

3.       If we do nothing and just let it ride out, there will be nothing left for future generations. lands will be left baron, and that's of the lands that remain after sea levels rise. Imagine our children growing up with nothing natural around them. It seems implausible, but fact is it can be a reality.

Video reflection: How it is made

It is imperative that all Industrial designers are knowledgeable in how things are made, as this information will help them to fully resolve their designs. The video series 'How it is made' portrays a succinct overview of how different everyday household items are manufactured and processed. It gives an overview of how packaging develops from its initial raw material form and then the processes it undertakes to become the final product. These packaging includes cardboard boxes, packaging tubes, tetrapak, aluminium cans, plastic bottles/jars and glass bottles. The series give us as designers a concise insight about the various production processes related to packaging or other product designs. Some interesting facts I took out of the videos were:

• the cardboard box was invented by accident
•   Tetrapak's have a 1 year shelf life without refrigerating
•  plastic is graded into various bins
•  aluminium cans can be infinitely recycled
• recycle glass endlessly, uses less energy than producing metal or plastic
• recycled plastics lose some of their properties

Three take home messages from this series I'd mention are:

1. It is important for designers to understand how packaging is made and manufactured, as it seems to be a necessity with everyday products
2. Packaging should be either recyclable if disposable, or reusable. This limits the environmental impact and allows consumers to get the most out of the products, including the packaging
3. Packaging can at times be a major necessity in relation to health and safety impacts, so its function and purpose should not be overlooked or ignored  

Video reflection: Giving packaging a new life

Industrial designers should watch 'Giving packaging a new life' as it gives a succinct analysis into the recycling process of everyday consumer products and packaging. The series looks at the six main types of packaging materials used in the world. It details how these are sorted and then the recycling process they undergo to become 'new' raw materials for other products. By watching the series, industrial designers can learn what materials to make their products from to make them more recyclable and have less of a damaging imprint on the Earth. Some interesting facts I took out of the videos were:

•  waste paper accounts for 60% of material for new paper
•  remaining plastic and aluminium in tetrapaks are used for cement
•  steel scrap makes up 40% of the raw materials for steel productions
•   magnetic fields separate aluminium cans from other waste
•  glass bottles need to separated by their colour before being recycled
•  plastic packaging used to be incinerated or sent to land fill

The final video in the series looked at the future of recycling and sorting innovations. The world's first fully automatic sorting plant is established in Hannover, Germany. A large sieve drum separates most of the recycled materials based on size and shape. A large magnet then removes the cans from the remaining recycled waste. Paper is removed in large washing drums, whilst aluminium is removed using an endocurrent separator.

Three take home messages from this series I'd mention are:

1. It is imperative that us as designers and consumers choose to create or purchase products whose materials can be safely and efficiently be recycled. This reduces the amount of raw materials needed to produce other items which is important as we need to sustain our natural resources as the world population continually expands.
2. Countries need to get to the same standard as Germany when it comes to the level and promotion of recycling. It seems everyone in Germany is doing their part to recycle as much as they can. In Australia consumers just throw all glass bottles into one bin, whereas in Germany consumers have to sort them by colour.  Also Germany has the world's first fully automatic sorting plant.
3. More investment and incentives need to occur in some countries to promote recycling. Generally we are doing okay in terms of recycling, but we can do much better. Incentives could include cash rebates for the amount you recycle. This would be aimed more at large businesses that go through a large sum of recyclable materials.