EcoMix
DeWalt Spirit Level Holder
Liar
Swap Mop
Blender Redesign
Injection Mould Tool Design
Clothing Brand
Design Week
Graphic Design Concept Generation Model Making Product Visualisation
Manufacturing Graphic Design Understanding of Mould Tools
Fashion Design Graphic Design Brand Generation
User Research Product Visualisation User Ethnography Concept Design
EcoMix Blender
Brief Blender Redesign / Group project/ 12 Weeks “You must analyse a sports blender, identify the key problems and provide an improved sustainable redesign for a specific activity focusing on the ergonomics features of the product and its aesthetics.�
Outcome A hand powered mixer for soft berries collected during a camping trip. During this project we had to take a current sports blender and observe a number of different people using it. From these observations we took note of the key issues with the blender and how we would go about redesigning it so that these issues where less significant. After the observation we took apart the blender to analyse the internal parts. One of its issues we discovered was very difficult to disassemble making it hard to recycle each individual part, this was something we aimed to change with our redesign. We chose camping as our activity to design for and to make it sustainable we made the blender hand powered. The submission included a blue foam model of the design and a folio including all the stages of design development.
Top Plunger
Top Casing
Ergonomic Factors
Outer Casing Screws
The ergonomics had to be considered in the design of the blender. The point of interaction between the product and the user is in the hand so Anthropometric data of the hand needed to be used. • Fits in the hand comfortably • Its a suitable size so that it can be stored in a bag and carried around without being an inconvenience.
Plunger
Thread Driver
Sustainability Factors Thread Support The sustainability of the product was also a massive part for this project. The previous sports blender that we evaluated was not sustainable at all so in our redesign we wanted to try and fix this issue. • Hand powered so doesn’t give of any direct carbon emissions. • All elements are easy to disassemble so can be recycled without too much hassle. • All waste material from injection moulding will be reused • Minimal packaging will be used producing less waste and making it easier to transport
Middle Blade Blade Casing Filter
Bottom Casing
DeWalt Spirit Level Holder
Brief Injection mould tool design/ Group project/ 12 Weeks “You must develop a mould tool to produce a promotional widget for a chosen brand. Your widget will be a give away with the aim to promote the companies goods and services. Your widget must be suitable for mass manufacture.�
Outcome A spirit level holder that attaches to the top of a DeWalt drill to help it stay aligned when drilling. The first stage of this project was individual work and involved designing our own promotional widget for our chosen brand and the mould tool to go alongside it. This was where we learnt how the moulds tool assembly works and different techniques to design your widget. We then came together in group and choose the most appropriate and refined design to take forward to the manufacturing process. Accurate detailed drawings of each individual parts were then drawn up and we proceeded to make the inserts out of mild steel. This was what we used to produce our LDPE widget. This project helped me to develop an understanding of the injection moulding process and develop my manufacturing skills.
Top Mould Aluminium
Line Up Pin X2 Silver Steel
Insert Pin X2 Silver Steel
Insert removal
Freeze time
5.020
Middle Top Cradle Mild Steel Left Top Cradle Mild Steel Top Clip Mild Steel Middle Clip Mild Steel Bottom Clip Mild Steel
Seconds
Right Top Cradle Mild Steel Middle Window Mild Steel
Ejection
Mould closing
Hold time
Injection/Fill time
Middle Cradle Mild Steel Bottom Mould Aluminium
As part of our hand in, we were required to make our widget mass manufacturable. As you can see in the mould fill time above in order to meet the required amount of widgets in 3 months we would need 2 cavities to produce 2 widgets at one time.
Our Display Board Hand In
Manufacturing Process Using the engineering drawings we then went into the workshop and started to manufacture the individual parts that would make up the mould. As you can see we used machines such as the lath, milling machine, CNC machine, and Injection moulding machine. Through using these machines I increased my skill set and confidence making me much more capable in the workshop.
Chapter One ‘Liar Limited’ is a mens clothing brand that I set up last year in my free time. I have always had an interest in fashion so this was a driving force behind my idea. My first collection, ‘Chapter One’ consists of the items shown on this page. I used my graphic design skills to create a clear brand identity and portrayed that throughout each item. I am keen to keep designing new and different styles with the feedback I receive and I am looking forward to producing ‘Chapter Two’ soon.
Swap Mop
Brief Multi-purpose Mop/ Individual project/ 1 Weeks “To design a product to improve the functionality of household chores. The product should add value to either cleaning or kitchen activities in the home. It should lead to task improvement and improve sustainability credentials.�
Outcome An ergonomically designed handle with detachable ends to fit the needs of any cleaning job. This brief was set on a Friday and we had ONE WEEK in order to produce our design. The submission included 2 A3 display boards consisting of research, design strategy, design proposal, final product render with its benefits and its sustainability advantages.
Design Strategy My strategy is to design an ergonomic handle for cleaning utensils such as mops and brooms that not only improve the effectiveness of cleaning but also makes it a more pleasant.
User
Task
Environment
- Typically of older age, between 40-60 maybe with joint problems. - Has a large house with many areas to clean. - Has a high income with money to spend. - Would like a product that is highly reliable and provides comfort when in use. - Tends to be the sole cleaner of the house without getting much help. - Someone who spends lots of time cleaning the house and likes it done properly. - Someone who is conscious of the environment.
- The task that I am looking to improve is the comfort of using a mop when cleaning the house. - The product will have strong ergonomic features therefore improving the experience. - Storage of a broom is also an issue so I would like to improve this as-well. - The handle will be used for many different types of cleaning activities so needs to be adaptable.
- This product will be used all over the house. - Main place it will be used for most households is the kitchen. - Likely to be stored in the kitchen. - It will be in an environment where it gets dirty. - Will be used all over the house so will be in many different environments throughout the products life. - Could potentially be stored outside so should be weather resistant.
After finalising my research and deciding on the direction I began to sketch some initial concepts. These consisted of different forms for all parts of the design including the end shape, handles and the main shape. This helped me explore different forms and decide which would be the most ergonomically appropriate.
Sustainability Service Inner aluminium tube can be made longer or shorter to adapt to the users size and improving storage ability.
Due to this being a high cost product when you pay for it you also buy into a service that delivers replacement parts for you as well as picking it up when it is at its end of life. This allows the company to have more control over the product meaning they can dispose/reuse the parts in the correct manner.
Materials A combination of aluminium pipe, ABS and rubber is used to produce this product. All of these materials are recyclable and the product is designed so that the separate materials are easily split making it less hassle recycle. Optimum positioning of upper handle provides comfort for the user.
Weight The product is made of a light weight material which will reduce the carbon footprint of the company while transporting the goods. In addition to this minimal packaging will be used meaning that more can be transported at once.
Benefits Well position lower handle maximises leverage when cleaning low areas.
Experience The positioning of the handles are designed so that it provides more comfort for the user putting less strain on their bodies. By using materials with a high strength to weight ratio I have also been able to minimise the weight therefore meaning it can be used for longer without discomfort.
Adaptability Removable heads provides adaptivity for different cleaning jobs.
The ends of the handle are removable allowing you to change to different cleaning utensils. In addition to this being able to adjust the length helps provide comfort for different body shapes and maximises its storage ability.
Repair Due to its service of delivering the replacement parts and it being a modular design it means that it is easily repairable therefore preventing it from being disposed of unnecessarily.
Ben Smith About Me I am a second year industrial design student at Loughborough university seeking a work placement starting in 2017. I am a hardworking, highly motivated and creative student aiming to develop both my design and soft skills. I work well within a team and have strong leadership and communication skills which I developed through my time as a rugby player. I feel that a placement will give me the opportunity to apply what I have learnt at university into a work environment and work with a range of experienced professionals.
Hobbies Rugby Swimming Travelling Film Graphic Design
Surrey, United Kingdom
07828517915
benjamin.gsmith96@gmail.com