Problem
The aim of the project is to develop our knowledge in the design and manufacture of a commercial consumer product by dismantling and investigating the key design aspects of a household appliance in a written report.
Our product is a black 1.7L kettle shown in the picture below.
The report must have included an in-depth analysis of :
A full Product Design Specification (PDS)
Full components and parts list with consideration to material choice manufacturing and assembly techniques
British and EU standards
A full sustainability report
Design improvements
Solution
Worked as part of a group to fully dismantle a Wilko's black Kettle in order to examine and analyse the different components. Paying particular attention to the materials, design for manufacture and assembly.
The kettle consisted of 35 parts and components, mainly made from injection moulded polypropylene and standardised electrical components.
Only 12 screws were required in the assembly, with all of the other parts fitting together with snap joints showing great design for assembly.
Using online academic resources and software we were able to identify the correct customer market, EU and British standards (BS EN 6143, BS 1362 and BS EN 60335) and using CES EduPack a full sustainability report.
As part of the sustainability report, the graph on the left outlines and compared the energy consumption and CO2 Footprint during each phase of the product's lifecycle.
The use phase is considerably worse than any other phase with 4400MJ of energy required over the 4-year life span and 2800 kg of CO2 Footprint.
It is clear that the future of kettle design should be minimising the energy consumption of the kettle during the use stage by making it more efficient.
