The Fabrication of a Coffee Maker – Part 1 : What

Throughout the semester, I have expressed a particular infatuation with the coffeehouse aesthetic. The aesthetic is defined by a domination of the space with earthen tones; browns and greens and blacks. I’ve found the aesthetic particularly conducive to work, and the natural of aroma of coffee is nothing short of heavenly. Given my feelings towards coffeehouses, I decided to create my final project in the coffeehouse aesthetic; and I figured what better item to create than a coffee maker itself.

Below is an example of a coffeehouse, my source of inspiration:

Last semester, my coffeemaker had broken, and, being an engineer, I had salvaged parts; specifically the heating element and silicon tubing. It was around these pieces that I designed my vision. Within the CAD drawings below, one can see my original designs, which implemented the natural tones that the coffeehouse aesthetic. The brown board pictured were all stained wood, with black anodized aluminum rails (typically used for optical tables within physics labs) adding a subtle accent to the sides of the piece. Included within the piece was an acrylic backing, so the viewer could see into the piece, and witness their coffee being brewed live inside. The piece’s most prominent feature was the door and Arduino mechanism I had envisioned– all controlled by the push of a button – that would open the doors and begin brewing one’s coffee at the same instant. This would have fulfilled the dynamic requirement of the piece, while providing the user with the option to brew with ease.

The initial sketches and CAD images are below:

As one can see, there is a continuity error between the sketch and the CAD drawings, as the sketch featured a rack on top of the machine, for spare mugs and grounds. This rack was ultimately scrapped, as I would have had to purchase a prefabricated rack, which was unnecessarily expensive.

With my vision in mind, fabrication began.

Below is an image of my final product’s interior, which is drastically different from the CAD drawings above. I will explore the processes of fabrication in Part 2: How, and go into detail as to how the design changed, whilst keeping the same coffeehouse aesthetic.

Citations:

“Aesthetic Coffee Shop for Any Events in Manhattan.” Giggster , Giggster , New York , 2023, https://giggster.com/listing/aesthetic-coffee-for-any-events-in-manhattan-. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.