Nov.13, 2013
How to let people to produce, repair and modify their own appliances? Design student Weilun Tseng wants to create a new thinking to define how to produce electronic appliances. He expects that one day household appliances can be produced as easily as playing Lego.
Tseng analyzed more than 50 appliances and found most of the functions of these 50 appliances can be actually performed by 5 different modules, such as rotating, lighting, air heating, liquid heating, and warming.
He designed a series of modular electronic building modules, these modules can be functioned independently as basic elements for your own production. Meanwhile they can also be combined with other interchangeable supporting parts.
The next step was to add supporting parts (without electronic components) for positioning, water resisting, light manipulating, air taking etc. Users can either download standard design files from internet or design themselves and then have them made on a 3D printer.
There are endless ways to use these electronic module and supporting parts to produce, repair and modify any creations. Tseng hopes his Open E-Components system could let people have a chance to really follow their personal needs and perhaps, imaginations. "It can be something basic as a latte mixer, something more advance as a table fan, into something consists of two different modules at the same time like a hair dryer, or something that is totally not designed to be universal, something satisfied special needs from people's personal demands." writes Tseng.
Here are some appliances Tseng created:
Water Boiler
Coffee Warmer
As part of his experiment, Tseng recruited some designers to test the idea using module of Open E-Components and 3D printing. Designer Minghan Tsai, also from Taiwan, designed a 3D printed shoe dryer to remove moisture caused by wet weather in the Netherlands.
"Although it looks quite complex as an appliance that consists of two different modules, but actually for me it is quite easy to materialize the whole idea and to create my own components by following the rules of Open E-Components because the difficult part of organizing electronic stuff is already well considered and ready for development." says Tsai.
Tseng hopes his Open E-Components system could boost the small regional economy. Big companies like Philips might start to deliver only the electronic modules, and small 3D printing workshops and technical design studios might have a chance to thrive, says Tseng. "And it will be more sustainable for our environment as well."
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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