This week in class we were able to make a lot of progress on all of our projects. Although only 2 of us were there out of our group, we made an initial design for our coffee pour over assistant. We decided to separate the product into two parts. The bottom part, which consists of the four legs that support the object and it is also where you place the filter and coffee grinds. It was difficult to decide how tall to make it because coffee cups are all different sizes. Ultimately, we decided to make this portion of the product customizable so when we make the design open to everyone, the person printing it can decide how tall they want to make the legs. The picture shows the beginning of the 3D print for the bottom half of the assistant.

We were also able to cut out the part for the coffee filter pretty easily. We simply cut a filter into the top part of the bottom half. Next, we began work on the top half of the coffee pour over assistant. This is where the user will pour the water and it will slowly drip over the coffee grinds. We decided to have two slides that the water will drip through. The top one has several larger holes placed around the circle to slow down the water a little bit. The next slide will consist of much smaller holes which will control the water flow much more. The picture shows the beginning of the 3D print for the larger holes that the water will flow through. Because this is a prototype we printed it with the material in the MakerLab. When we create our final product we will use a different material that can withstand hot water over several uses.

I was doing some research to find out which materials people use in the 3D printing world to use with hot water. I found a website with a discussion on the topic. I think I will also go to the FabLab and talk with the gurus there to see what they think would be the best material to use.

In the upcoming weeks my group plans to test our product with users and see what we need to change with the original design. We will also gather material to use for the top half of the design that can withstand the hot water and not potentially leak toxins into the water. More to come in the upcoming weeks!