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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