Product Development

The Electric Kettle Case Study

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Market Requirements

Volume of boiling water = 2 liters

Kettle weight include water < 3 kg.
Demand of kettle is 2 million/year

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Functional Requirements
Automatically stops boiling when water is boiled
Cordless design
Easy to clean
Handle remains cool and safe to touch

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Materials that can be ruled out

Polyphenylene oxide (PPO)
maximum operating temp. is 105 degree Celsius

discolor-able due to outdoor exposure

difficult to mass produce (must be blended with polymers)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Materials that can be ruled out

Polyethersulphones (PES)
limited exposure to hot water

changes dimension when exposed to moisture

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Materials that can be ruled out

Polyetheretherketones (PEEK)
high cost

excessive working temperature

limited shaping process - difficult to manufacture

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Materials that can be ruled out

Aluminum (Al)
corrosive prone

require further treatment before processing

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Materials that can be ruled out

Magnesium (Mg)
corrodes easily

burns if reacted to water, thus coating will be required

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study
Sketch and dimension of kettle body
Dimension
Half Side view

- overall height : 10.5 cm.

- inner radius: 8.003 cm.

- base thickness: 1 cm.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study
Sketch and dimension of kettle body
Sketch

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study
Sketch and dimension of kettle body
Sketch

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Consider the mechanical properties affected

wear resistance: considering wear bet ween
kettle and plate since the t wo components have
to be contacted during its operating life

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Consider the mechanical properties affected

thermal resistance: we have to consider thermal
resistance of the kettle since the body is in
direct contact with the boiling water. It is
necessary to have a body which will not conduct
heat out the the outer shell.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Consider the mechanical properties affected

impact resistance: since we do not want the
kettle to break when dropped, we should consider
the impact resistance of the material used for
the kettle body.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Consider the mechanical properties affected

electrical insulation: the kettle consist of
electrical system for the heating system, thus
we should consider the importance of electrical
insulators of the kettle

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Consider the mechanical properties affected

corrosion resistance: many materials can
corrode when exposed to moisture, thus we must
consider the corrosion of materials used for the
kettle

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Comparative Cost of
Materials

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Stiffness of Various
Plastics:
(GN/M2) Stiffness
Polyamide (PA) 1.25
Polypropylene (PP) 0.24
Polyacetal (Polyoxymethylenes POM) 0.71
Polyphenyleneoxide (PPO) 1.6
Polyethersulphone (PES) 2.5
Polyethertherketone (PEEK) 2.8

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Materials Density (Kg/ Cost per kg Minimum Volume of Material
M3) (rel. to steel) wall material cost per
thickness (M3×10-4) casting (rel.
(mm) to steel)

Steel 7900 1 0.6 4.87 2.32638

Al 2700 2 0.8 4.87 1.052

Mg 1700 15 0.9 4.87 0.74511

PP 910 5 5.6 4.87 2.21585

POM 1200 8 3.8 4.87 4.6752

PPO 1200 7 3.3 4.87 4.0904

PES 1300 20 2.6 4.87 12.662

PEEK 1300 30 2.5 4.87 18.993

PA 1200 9 3.2 4.87 5.2596

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Bench Marking for
Materials

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Criteria Weight PA PP POM PPO PES PEEK
(100)
Wear Resistance 5 2.5 3 3 3.5 4 3.5

High Temperature Resist 15 3 3 4.5 3 3.5 4

Insulator Properties 20 2.5 4 4 3 3 3

Chemical Resistance 5 3 4 4 4 3 3.5

Impact Resistance 5 3 4 3 4 3 4.5

Cost 20 4 5 4 4 2.5 2

Durability 15 3 3.5 3 4 3 3

Ease of Manufacturing 15 3 5 2.5 2 4 3

Total 100 307.5 407.5 360 322.5 317.5 307.5

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Material to use
From the benchmarking table, the most appropriate
material for our kettle is PP or Polypropylene.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

 Objective of Case Study

Choose the material(s) and process(es) for

manufacturing the kettle
The material we choose for kettle body is polypropylene (PP). Due to its
low cost and ease of manufacturing, we think that this is the most
appropriate material to use. Also, the thermal resistance of this material
is suitable for such operation as boiling water. The manufacturing process
which is the most suitable is blow molding, since the production volume is
appropriate. Also the capital cost and tooling cost seems to be the most
appropriate.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010