Gordon Robertson
My Cup of Tea
Project Goals
-
Create a part that solves a beverage-related problem I have
-
Make it using only sheet acrylic
-
Be able to use it in everyday life
(No acrylic glue)
The Problem
My beverage of choice is soda and I'll often drink way too much staying up to finish assignments.
My hands also get cold very easily and having to pick up a cold can of soda only exacerbates the problem.
So I decided to design something that would let me keep my hands warm and drink soda at the same time.
Design Mood board
I made a mood board to help frame the problem and ideate solutions.
Initial Sketches and Cad Work
I wanted the design to be
-
Elegant
-
Reliable
-
Easy to Use
Initial Shape Test
To make sure my design was functional, I first made it from cardboard.
The test was successful and I decided to move onto acrylic tests.
Acrylic Tests
First, I made a test cut of the cup and laser-cut different handle molds.
Test Prototypes
These prototypes iterated upon handle size and comfort, the height of the top, and the securing mechanism. I tested adding different grips but they were either unreliable and prone to snapping, or uncomfortable, or both.
The final design has a robust securing mechanism that could withstand heavy use.
Final Design
The final design is a single piece of acrylic shaped using a heat gun that's secured with a very small incorporated a mechanical locking mechanism.
I chose this design because it looks very nice and inserting/removing soda cans is very easy.
To make sure it was reliable, I stress tested it with 3 days of regular use.