Monday, October 15, 2012

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.


PSS: Blog comments

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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