Final Project Report (P2): Dehydrator

Notice, all images included are of the pieced dehydrator due to the original dehydrator breaking into multiple pieces.

What was your aesthetic, and how well did you achieve it?

• Art Nouveau and personal aesthetic
• Symmetric shapes
  • Could not get a metallic finish which makes the dehydrator standout to other appliances in the kitchen

I etched all of my images on the panels of wood which would serve as the structure of my project. The images turned out better than I expected, but while I was building the dehydrator I accidentally dropped it which caused it to break. I am currently building a new one made of acrylic, it will be functional, but it does not meet any of my aesthetic requirements at all.

What did you learn from your project, and from the class?

I learned to never underestimate how easy something would be build. I thought making a box would be a simple task, but through making it, I realized I was missing some key information like accounting for the thicknesses of the walls when putting the dehydrator together. I wish I would have used the 7 rule we talked about in a previous class as I think it would have made my schedule more predictable.

What did you learn from your project, and from the class?

I noticed through building the dehydrator I was adding subtle details to the way the wood was oriented or the ways I installed the hinges which made me realize all the small details manufacturers put in their products which I realized I always miss. I’ll keep an eye out to learn how the manufacturers solved their problem instead of trying to invent the solution again,

What will you do next with the project?

For this project, I think I will be recreating my broken dehydrator using a better material. I will be adding more sensitive sensors to give me more control over the de-humdification process.

What do you wish you had done differently? Compare your original project intent to what you ended up with.

I wish I would have used the aluminum sheet metal I wanted in the beginning and went over my initial budget. It would have met all my aesthetic requirements and I would have resulted with a more robust build in the end.