-It is hard to store empty aluminum beverage cans and not let them mount up and
overflow your recycling bin.
Inventors aim for classical American problems that when solved bring in a
plethora of revenue. But when multitudes of possible solutions never really leave the
shelves to fill homes it means that the problem has not really been solved. Our team came
in to tackle a can-buyer’s problem much like this and vowed to prototype a working
solution competitive in the American market. Of course maybe it wouldn’t take off or
make millions but would give other engineering companies a run for their money while
working with nothing but our school’s project lead the way.
After running through multitudes of problems we decided to tackle that of the
overload of used cans in home recycling bins. Our personal recycling bins- we noticedwere all overflowing with used cans. We found this curiously interesting and after
conversing with classmates at school we realized something important. While everyone
dislikes crushing sticky used cans no one but two people in our class has a can crusher for
home use. This was our final deciding factor in choosing our problem statement. Because
even though can crushers are already easy to use, cheap, and durable they are still not in
use in every American home. This proves that there is something missing in today’s
solutions. Ergo, it is hard to store aluminum beverage cans and not let them mount up and
overflow your recycling bin.
In order to justify this problem we didn’t just want to ask a handful of students but
a variety of people of all ages and people from out of school as well. We wanted to make
sure that the problem was an issue for others outside of our group of academy students.
One hundred and twenty people were surveyed, questioned on their opinion of aluminum
can buildup.
What we came up with is a mass of data resulting in one common
conclusion- that the buildup of cans is a widespread problem and although there are
solutions in place to solve this; they have obviously not solved the problem since it is still
a general issue.
In addition to a public opinion we wanted an expert’s view on this issue as well.
For this we consulted the experts we had previously spoken to. Their outlook on our
situation was to make sure we made our prototype different somehow; so that it would
stand out from the crowd and sell. We had mentioned including a container to attach to
the can crusher that the extra liquid could leak into, and every expert contacted thought
positively of this idea. As a group we decided that the extra trouble with building,
maintaining, and cleaning this would be worth the trouble. This satisfied the group and
made us on our way to a successful prototype.
In order to produce a successful prototype there must be research done to make
sure that the prototype is different and enhanced from past items. From the first to the
last can crusher manufactured in history each one has emphasized a quality; each quality
has made it sell in its own right but at the same time constrained the marketability. Upon
completing research the compiled models were examined for best and worst qualities;
these were noted in order to not reproduce negative features. Right after compiling model
research we took it upon ourselves to briefly look up can crushing patents online. When
creating our product we were aiming to make it as real as possible and this meant not recreating something previously patented.
The models we looked up were all great prototypes. There was solutions to every
market-target who used or crushed cans. Qualities such as pricing, material and what-the
item-is-powered-by differed depending the market target. When targeting a large
company the can crusher tends to move from man powered to electrical. In other cases
they were also powered by hydraulics, but over all they seemed to agree upon not using
one once of human force. With these higher-end crushers they also tended to be made of
steel and geared towards lasting more than a decade. These quality features however
show up in the price tag. Along with being an amazing can crusher it can really only be
afforded by a company who uses a lot of cans.
So if the market-target isn’t large companies then the other solution is making it
geared towards use by the regular aluminum-can-purchasing Joe. These models still
emphasize qualitative but relinquish features such as metal based or push-button use. All
are human powered and are made of some type of plastic. With these models the trade-off
is also the price tag. It can start at about ten dollars and these can also last many years.
Sure they may take some effort to use and it may get tedious to do one after another after
another, but you wont have to mess with crushing them with your foot; or your forehead
in some people’s case.
Our research brought us to a wealth of solutions. The first decision was in making
the product for home use and not over engineering it to be powered by hydraulics or even
electricity. Making it too expensive would be the first flaw in the design and we were
aiming for home-use, not corporate. Next step in line was evaluating how many moving
parts it would have. In our primary inventor drawing designs we decided to make a
ratchet and pinion device that we could turn like a jack-in-the-box that would crush the
cans without much needed force. After finishing the product however, we were left with a
block of wood that we jammed down a cubic prism that crushed cans. This in turn
worked out for the better and required much less effort than the product would have
originally, made it less expensive, and required less maintenance.
The first set of models we researched were made to crush one can at a time. This
must have been intended for home use; but as previously stated, designing a feature just
for a certain market-such as home owners- can harm sales instead of helping. Crushing
one can at a time can become a tedious task. When you are a homeowner attempting to
crush sixty cans after a party owning a multiple can crusher seems the better option.
When considering it, it can take a quarter of the time crushing cans with a four-can can
crusher. This simple reason kills sales for single-can can crushers. From this we learned
not to overdo the number of cans to be crushed but also not undermine it. Most
importantly we learned not to focus on a quality or feature so that it benefits a certain
market output while underestimating another. Over engineering is another factor that
needs to be watched out for. Making it too big or sturdy is something that also pushes
away potential customers. Making a can crusher out of steel would be superfluous to the
design due to the costly effect. Likewise making it out of thin plastic may lower the price
significantly but it wouldn’t last more than a few uses. It is imperative to use the proper
material and keep the price economical for its buyers. Along with over engineering
comes
Our efforts combined qualities so that we didn’t overemphasize any one in
specific or underrate any either. In the end our product reached an equilibrium regarding
features and kept the procedure as simple as one, two, three. Along with this simplicity
we plan in making the price-tag according to most family’s budgets. We want the quality
to stay great and lower the price as much as we can. Originally it was going to involve a
ratchet and pinion mechanism that would raise the price and maintenance but as we went
along it changed into this simple machine. By changing this it immediately reflected
better results in our data. The results told us that the higher number of cans crushed- by
using our new model- used less human force; which in turn meant that the older, lesscapable folks won’t have such a hard time crushing their cans. Like Cotie.
All in all it is our hopes that can crushing turns to be a problem of the past. The
extensive research shows that solutions today- although well-priced, of quality and
aesthetic- are still missing something the customer wants. Further research and tests has
brought us to our solid prototype that we hope holds what the customer is looking for.
We feel our rugged design is perfect for any customer regardless of age; it is strong and
durable yet light enough for grandma to go on a crushing spree. It may not be the new
item seen in every home of America but it definitely solves the problem of overflowing
cans in recycling bins.
Joe Cotton Daniel Villanueva Patrick Hepner
Can Crusher
EDD
Stephen Buchs
4.13.09
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Created at www.bibme.org