PORTABLE CHARGER CASING DESIGN

PORTABLE CHARGER DESIGN

VIEW FULL SLIDES

OVERVIEW

Individual Project

Freelance Work

Pittsburgh, PA

April 20-27, 2017

MY ROLE

Research | Conceptual Design | Embodiment Design | Prototyping | Final Presentation

SKILLS

THE CHALLENGE

From the user research I conducted, I found that one of the properties people aren't satisfied with is the bulkiness of the current product. They are either too big to fit in pockets, or too heavy to carry around, and thus they are not that 'portable'.

Most people only use portable chargers during travel. As the batteries of smartphones nowadays last longer and longer, I feel it would be enough if a portable charger's full capacity can charge a phone twice.

In my design, My top priority is to make the product impact and light and easy to carry.

A GLIMPSE OF THE FINAL DESIGN

IDEA GENERATION

Three different ideas.

MATERIAL AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS SELECTION

I used Ashby Methodoloty to select the material for the casing and the sleeve. The final choice for casing is PC+PBT blended material, and for sleeve is PVC-elastomer. Please refer to my full presentation on the top right corner if you are interested in the calculation and full details for the method I used.

Since it's a mass produced consumer goods, it makes sense to use injection molding as manufacturing process.

FINAL PRODUCT

Now I present the final product as below.

DFMA & DFE PRINCIPLES APPLIED

Reduce the total number of parts
Use of standard/ commercially available components
Design parts to be multi-functional
Design parts with tolerances within process capability: no extremely tight tolerances
Eliminate surface-finish operations
Avoid separate fasteners
Design the product to be foolproof during assembly: components should be designed so they can be assembled only one way.
Design for ease of assembly: chamfers, tapers should be designed on mating parts
Instructions and warnings can be molded into the base of the charger to replace the traditional sticker
Avoid or minimize use of hazardous and toxic materials
Use materials which are renewable and recyclable
Minimize use of thermosets
Minimize the number of materials used
Transport by ship or train instead of plane and lorry
Design for easy maintenance and repair

PROTOTYPE AND VALIDATION

3D printed the casing and sleeve as they are the part will be actually manufactured.