Week 5

Due to the current COVID-19 situation in Singapore, we were forced to have our home-based learning until further notice. Because of that, despite the worsen situation in Singapore, we were still having online lessons as usual.

This week, we had learned another different method besides COWS and others, which was changing the material of the products without changing its function. In other word, we have learned about how we can change a design so that a particular material can be used.

For example, we had been taught with the case study of a Hair Dryer.

In the 1890’s, the first hair dryer was introduced in order to dry one’s hair.

(Figure 1: Hair Dryer in 1890)

- Let’s fast forward 30 years later.

 

(Figure 2: Hair Dryer being modified after 30 years.)

As we can see, the hair dryer is made from metal fitted with a wooden handle.

However, there were some disadvantages as well which are:

• Heavy, weighing close to 1 kg 

• Not safe, several accidents involving overheating and electrocution might happen.

• The airflow is very weak.

And lastly, the hair dryer was being modified again. This hair dryer was called Hawkins Supreme. It was made out of only plastic and wood and it was made in 1930’s.

(Figure 3: Hawkins Supreme hair dryer.)

Figure below shows the summary on how we can actually change the material for our design but its function is still the same.

(Figure 4: Week 5 slide from Blackboard)

Activity Time❗❗❗:

This week, we were told to replace a material in an existing product. Therefore, we chose this pair of leather shoes as our idea. The purpose of choosing this leather shoes was that we wanted to change the material for this pair of leather shoes but its function would still be the same, that was to provide comfort for users who wore it.

(Figure 5: The Black Tux, 2021)

After discussion, we decided to replace the material of this leather with the material called Alcantara and its chemical name is Polyester-polyurethane mixture. 

Here is the brief description about Alcantara material:

Alcantara ® is a high-quality composite material produced using an advanced spinning process that combines both polyester fibres (PET) and polyurethane (PU). The result is a luxurious and soft material for the high-end upholstery market that offers an extraordinary combination of feel, beauty and functionality. Alcantara ® is a versatile material which can be processed through multiple techniques including print, embossing, laser cutting, lamination, finishing, electric welding, thermoforming, stitching and thermal bonding. 

We were also discussed among the group how this material can be used as a direct replacement to a material in an existing product without any significant changes in the design. 

 

1. Alcantara can be used as a direct replacement for leather in shoes as a lower cost alternative.  

2. Boasts a greater durability compared to leather while the texture, feel and aesthetic of the genuine product. Unlike leather it is more resistant to sweat or water allowing for better grip and feel during extended use

3. Allows for a longer lifetime of the product at a more affordable price with the same benefits. As a synthetic material, it is not an animal product like leather.

4. Thus, though non-biodegradable the environmental effect of producing this material is significantly less and for those who are ethically opposed to leather this material can serve as an alternative in shoes.

Next, we also discussed among the group how this material can be used to enhance the functionality of an existing product through some changes in the design.  

Here were the ideas that our team came out with:

 

• Can be used in the interior of shoes to provide the soft texture, comfortable to wear for consumers.  

 

• For example, in areas where there is high contact like in the ankle, Alcantara can be used to provide more grip for foot wear such as hiking shoes which require it.  

 

• In high stress areas of the shoe, Alcantara can be used as reinforcement to increase durability. 

 

• Can be used to waterproof shoes as is not porous.

Reflection for Week 5:

Ambrose:

This week, I have learned about how a product can be designed, not just by combining materials together but also changing a particular material on some part of the product. Furthermore, for example, the hair dryer. From the example of the hair dryer, I am able to understand how the hair dryer had evolved into a modern hair dryer as what we had encountered in our daily lives. From here, there are differences in making hair dryer in the past years, and that is changing the materials of the hair dryer, making it less energy consuming, safer to use. In a nutshell, I think that this concept may be applicable to all the products existing in our daily life.

Joshua:

Usually we create a product to serve a purpose, then find a suitable material that fits our needs. In this week's activity, we learn to do it the other way around using the material to find a suitable product that can replace or improve the existing materials and its functions. From seeing the product design from this perspective, I can understand how to increase the functionality and existing usages of my products from looking at the capabilities of the materials then reexamining the product with a different material choice.

Yongjie:

In this week we learnt about how we can change a material without changing the function of the product. Hair dryer was the example that was used where it was made entirely out of metal, then it was fitted with a wooden handle but it was still bulky and difficult to use, and now it changes to a plastic body to reduce weight and insulate the product to reduce heating up of the hair dryer. It showed us how different materials can bring improvements and convenience to a user. We also learnt about using SPibrary to help us with the selection of materials. We were then tasked to complete the worksheet. With this information we were able to come up with ideas and complete the worksheet.

Edmund:

After this lesson I have learnt about many new materials on SPLibrary through the activity and thinking of a material that can be changed with an existing product and making it work as effective. Moreover, I have learnt how to change the design of the product to enhance the functionality using the material. However, our team had a lot of communication issues during our presentation and I hope we can do better as a team for our future lessons.