Project: Tilt&flo - product design
Project team: n/a
Class: PDI Studio III (Fall 2008)
Objective: Design or redesign a simple object for use in the PDI studio that users can physically interact with. Attend carefully and systematically to aesthetic and usability.
Project summary: Tilt&flo provides a simple, highly portable, and ergonomic alternative to the bulky and expensive laptop coolers on the market today. It uses recycled materials to create a low cost, personalized, and aesthetically pleasing solution for use in both a classroom or studio environment or in a room or office. While Tilt&flo is not the best solution for the user that works their laptop for long hours, it is a feasible solution for the average user or college student who desires a way to increase air flow under the laptop, minimizing the chances of overheating and damaging the hardware, which would result in permanent loss of valuable files.
Tilt&flo - project overview
Tilt&flo is a new laptop riser that slightly elevates the back end of the user’s laptop to improve the circulation underneath. It consists of a set of plates that rotate open to hold the laptop. Two removable supports fit into slots at the bottom of the plates and set the laptop to a tilt of 15°, which promotes better air flow while providing the user with a more ergonomic angle for typing. Non-slip pads placed on the top of the plates and the bottom of the supports ensure that the laptop will not slide or get scratched during use, creating a stable work environment that quickly folds up for the student constantly on the move. The entire unit is made of scrap material easily found around campus and costs less than $0.60 to manufacture.
Tilt&flo - aesthetics and design
Tilt&flo uses a folding mechanism for easy storage. The two risers are removable and can be stored separately. When expanded, the plates lie flush with each other, creating a flat surface for the laptop to rest on. The risers provide a gentle tilt for a more comfortable typing angle.
Tilt&flo is simple yet elegant, and can be used in a variety of different environments. It demonstrates minimalist design and serves the purpose it is intended for without attracting negative attention with flashy colors or unnecessary bulk.
Tilt&flo - materials and environmental impact assessment
The material chosen for the movable plates needed to be cheap with a high heat transfer coefficient and high thermal conduction properties as not to heat up and hinder cooling. The best materials to fit this need are old computer cases. They are made out of steel or SECC (Steel, Electrogalvanized, Cold-rolled, Coil), which have high heat transfer coefficients and thermal conduction properties. The screws that hold the plates together are made of the same material.
The risers can be made from any material that comes in bar stock and is sturdy enough to support the laptop. Aluminum scrap is an inexpensive option as only about two inches of stock with a diameter of at least 0.5 inches are needed to create the two supports.
A non-slip material needed to be chosen to cover the contact area between the riser and the laptop and between the supports and the desk to keep the laptop from getting scratches on the bottom, and also keeps the supports from sliding. The best material for this is rubber because of the low production cost.
As the majority of the materials used are recycled, the production of the Tilt&flo actually benefits the environment because it finds new uses for materials that would otherwise be taking up space in our growing landfills.
Tilt&flo - general fabrication and production
Tilt&flo has a total of five different parts: two 6" top metal plates, two 6" bottom metal plates (identical to the top plates with the exception of a hole for the riser), a 2" middle plate for the longer plates to rotate around, two screws that sandwich the middle plate between the longer plates, and two removable risers that are cut at a 15 degree tilt. The top, middle, and bottom plates can be cut out of recycled SECC computer cases using a plasma or water jet cutter. The latter is preferable because it requires minimal heat to prevent the material from becoming damaged in the process, and makes smoother cuts to cut down time and machining costs of sanding the edges. After they are cut, these pieces are sanded to remove the layer of paint from the original casing. Holes are drilled in the appropriate locations of all five plates and screws are put in to hold them together.
The aluminum stock is then trimmed to the appropriate diameter and an angled cut is made. The final supports stand 1" high at their highest point and fit through the holes cut out of the bottom plates and rest on the inside of the top plates to create an angled surface upon which the laptop rests. The non-slip rubber is cut into the shapes of the top plates and the base of the supports using a laser cutter, and then glued onto their corresponding pieces.
One goal that was set was to create not just a product, but a process for students to create their own laptop risers using scrap materials and processes and resources available for a very low cost. The idea that Tilt&flo can be 100% created by the user itself allows for extended customizability, as the length of the risers and the angle of the tilt can be altered to fit their needs. I discovered a method of production that was used to create a working prototype using only processes and machines can be found in the student machine shop located on the first floor of the Jonsson Engineering Center. The materials used were mostly scrap materials, with a few parts that added to a total cost of $0.57.
Tilt&flo - design problems and the next step
One problem that needs to be looked into is the possibility of the rubber heating up. SECC is effective at removing heat from the laptop, but because there needs to be a layer between the plates and the laptop to protect it from damage, the added layer may absorb heat and act as an insulator. Vinyl electrical tape was considered for this application because it is inexpensive, widely available, and comes in the correct size with minimal trimming, but it also tends to act as an insulator.
There are a lot of opportunities for error in the process for the user to create their own laptop riser. The prototype created did not meet the desired quality standard, as quality was compromised to save time. Care especially needs to be invested in the creation of the supports, because they may cause the laptop to rest on a skewed surface if they are dissimilar.
A problem that was discovered after the prototype was created was that while the support on the ends was good, there was no support in the middle. The prototype was tested with about eight hours of intensive use and eight more hours of just resting the laptop on top of it, and it was sturdy and showed no stability problems. Visually, however, it could be seen that the plates had become slightly warped. This may be a problem that manifested itself during the sanding process, and it is unclear whether this is a production problem or a usage problem.
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© Copyright 2007
Tiffany Hu
Product Design and Innovation 2011
