DESIGN PORTFOLIO
BU Mechanical Engineering '20
HEATED ICE CREAM SCOOP
February 11, 2019
For this project, my group had the opportunity to construct a hot wire tool. When we were brainstorming tool ideas, we wanted our device to be practical and potentially be used by people. This is when we thought about making a heated ice scream scoop. The reasoning behind this is that the heat from the nichrome wire will facilitate ice cream scooping.
PRELIMINARY DESIGNS
In anticipation of potential failures, my group created two designs. The first design (pictured left) included a white, 3D printed ice cream scoop with an integrated wire in the scoop. The second design (pictured right) was just a 3D printed handle, and the scoop was going to be molded out of plaster of paris. Both handles were given ergonomic designs. We wanted the scoop to be comfortable in the user's hands. Because of this, we used also smoothed out the edges that were created around the handles after they were 3D printed. In the end, we opted to move forward with the first design. We realized that plaster of paris was too brittle, so it would make a bad scoop.
TESTING
During the initial testing phase, the nichrome wire went up in flames, and it damaged the scoop. Admittedly, plastic was probably the worst material to have in contact with the nichrome wire for this design since it could not withstand the high temperatures from the nichrome wire. Luckily, we had enough time to 3D print another scoop. However, this time we knew to be more careful with the amperage through the wire.
FINAL RESULT
Ultimately, the main take-away from this project is the consideration and synthesis of different materials. It was imperative to prevent the plastic scoop from melting, which is why the plaster of paris was used. We decided to redesign the structure of the nichrome wire on the scoop. Rather than having the wire in contact with the plastic scoop, we elevated it on the inside of the scoop with some plaster of paris. Although it is brittle, plaster of paris could withstand the high temperatures from the nichrome wire because of its ceramic properties. This design worked properly, and the button allows the user to control the duration of time that amperage flows in the wire.
