Prediction:
What is the purpose of this product?
The purpose of this product is to ingratiate air into milk in order to change its texture.
How does it work?
A battery operated motor turns the metal rod. When the milk runs through the wire spool at the rod’s end, it froths the milk.
What market was it designed to appeal to?
This product was designed for a mass market. As a tool, it might appeal to coffee lovers, but it could also be used by kids and families for hot chocolate. It’s cheap availability means a broad variety of people might want to use it.
List some design objectives for this product.
As a hand-held device, this product should be easy and comfortable to use. It should be safe around hot objects in terms of backsplash, and effective at frothing milk. As it is competing with more high end home equipment and the professional shops, it should be affordable enough to maintain its market.
List some of the constraints that may have influenced the design.
Some design constraints include its waterproofness (or in this case, milk proofness) and the cost of materials considering its mechanics. Because of these, it must also be consistently effective and reusable with multiple battery changes.
Observation:
How do you think it works?
I believe this product works by attaching the components of a battery-powered motor, its switch, to the wire-rimmed rod to froth the milk.
How does it meet the design objectives overall?
Considering its hindrances, the frother meets the design objectives well. It is cheap (priced under $3) and when used, it is both effective and comfortable to hold.
Why is it designed the way it is?
As a handheld object, it is designed to be a quick tool to use in place of buying high end coffee or investing in more expensive stand equipment for homemade coffee drinks. It’s battery makes it accessible to a large market and consistent in its use. As such, it is also designed not to be on display, as other more expensive products might be. Instead, its small size and price make it attractive for use and easy storage.
What affordances, mapping, and feedback can you identify?
The frother’s handle acts as easy mapping and affordance, as it indicates how the user should hold it and easily identifies the on/off switch. Its handle distinguishes itself by being bulk and plastic, while the rod’s small metallic structure shows the user which side works to froth the milk.
Test:
This product worked very well for its design. Though I had trouble connecting the batteries initially, once they were in place they felt sturdy and solid as part of the device’s handle.
In use, it had a high operational functionality. It’s motor was very consistent and powerful. Connected with the rod, the frother was sturdy and effective. In the face of motored machines and hot liquid, it had the capacity to be very ergonomic. However, I believe the tool is almost over powered, as it required gentle handling so as not to splash the user.
Now, consider your own device:
In comparison to the Ikea frother, our device was very successful. It was similarly sturdy and effective, though it required more effort on the part of the user as it was not motorized. Similarly, our device produced large bubbles due to the tools we used for aeration. In the short term, this might not affect some user’s experience, but it would not satisfy all users equally based on the kind of drink prepared and how long it should last. If I could tinker with our device, I would improve the sturdiness of the handle and remove the splash guard, as it inhibited ease for the user.
Disassembly:
How does it work?
The frother works as predicted above.
How is it made? How does it work?
The handle is composed of two plastic pieces moulded to fit together and hold two AAA batteries and the motor. A third plastic piece fits as a lid for the handle, sliding open so that the batteries may be inserted. A fourth plastic piece acts as a switch to start the device. Three small metal pieces meld the handle and rod together and act to complete the battery circuit to power the motor. The rod itself its bent into a circle, allowing the smaller, thin coil to be wrapped around it. A small piece of rubber acts to secure the rod to the handle in use, while a small piece of plastic attaches the rod to the rest of the device internally.
How many parts?
Overall, the device has twelve individual parts. This excludes the intricacies of the motor, which Ikea purchased separately, and the two batteries, which did not come with the device.
How many moving parts?
Of the pieces, only the rod, the plastic switch and plastic handle lid moved.
Any surprises?
Considering the price of the device, I was surprised by how well it worked and how challenging it was to dissect.
Plastic Handle- Front
- Holds batteries and motor, acts as handle
- Connects to plastic handle- back, plastic handle cover, metallic pieces #1-3, plastic on/off switch, rubber guard, plastic guard
- Made from industrial plastic mold
- Material: Plastic
- Cost: 5 cents
Plastic Handle- Back
- Holds batteries and motor, acts as handle
- Connects to plastic handle-front, plastic handle cover, metallic pieces #1-3, motor, rubber guard, plastic guard
- Made from industrial plastic mold
- Material: Plastic
- Cost: 5 cents
Plastic Handle Cover
- Slides open to insert/remove batteries, covers handle for use
- Connects to plastic handle- front, plastic handle-back, metallic pieces #1-3, motor
- Made from industrial plastic mold
- Material: Plastic
- Cost: 1 cent
Plastic On/Off switch
- Slides on/off to activate the device
- Connects to plastic handle-front, metallic piece #2, motor
- Made from industrial plastic mold
- Material: plastic
- Cost: 1 cent
Motor
- Generates electric current through battery that allows metal rod to turn
- Connects to plastic handle-front, plastic handle-back, metallic pieces #1-3
- Made separately
- Material: aluminum, steel, copper, and plastic
- Cost: 1 dollar
Metallic Piece #1:
- Allows on/off switch to connect electric circuit to motor, batteries, rod
- Connects to plastic on/off switch, plastic handle-front, motor
- Made from industrial metal template
- Material: aluminum
- Cost: 5 cents
Metallic Piece #2:
- Allows motor to connect electric current to batteries, rod
- Connects to plastic handle-front, plastic handle-back, motor
- Made from industrial metal template
- Material: aluminium
- Cost: 5 cents
Metallic Piece #3:
- Allows motor to connect electric current to batteries, rod
- Connects to plastic handle-front, plastic handle-back, motor
- Made from industrial metal template
- Material: aluminium
- Cost: 5 cents
Plastic Guard:
- Binds metal rod to handle internally to keep rotation in check
- Connects to plastic handle- front, plastic handle- back, metal pieces #1-2, metal rod
- Made from industrial plastic template
- Material: plastic
- Cost: 1 cent
Rubber Guard:
- Binds metal rod to handle externally to keep rotation in check
- Connects to plastic handle- front, plastic handle- back, metal pieces #1-2, metal rod
- Made from industrial plastic template
- Material: Rubber
- Cost: 1 cent
Metal Rod:
- When activated, rotates to aerate milk
- Connects to plastic handle-front, plastic handle-back, metallic pieces #1-2, rubber guard, plastic guard, metal coil
- Made from industrial metal template
- Material: aluminium
- Cost: 5 cents
Metal Coil:
- Wraps around metal rod to aerate milk
- Connects to metal rod
- Made from aluminium
- Cost: 1 cent
Conclusion:
This product is very efficient at providing a cheap, easy to use alternative to milk frothing as used in coffee drinks. It is simple to operate and sturdy to last multiple uses. Its price provides its services as a tool for a large market, and its function makes it accessible to many different audiences.
To improve the product, I would adjust the fluidity of the plastic on/off switch and the handle lid to help the user control the device better in operation and help the user connect the batteries more easily.
Overall, this process was incredibly enlightening as a practical example of reverse engineering. I am much more attuned to the interconnectedness of creating or purchasing many individual units for later assembly, all accounting for a budget that is consumer friendly and turns a profit. I further realize how many components exist even within simple devices, and how valuable their deconstruction is to the study of engineering.