We were tasked to make a tool that would join thermoplastic materials with limited resources: 6 inches of 20 AWG nichrome wire, 12 inches of 20 AWG copper wire, and a switch to power the device on and off. The idea behind this assignment was to get us familiarized with product design by a means of mold, 3D printing, and/or machines components. When my group and I first met, we thought of how the nichrome wire would dissipate the copper wire's electricity into heat. We then thought of several uses of this newfound heat. After we made a few conceptual tools, we broke it down to what is more useful on the day to day life. That is how we decided on our Coffee heater as our final product. ​ 

When making the design of the product, we considered the efficiency, the safety, and the cost effectiveness. We wanted to make sure our product could meet all of these needs. With that said, we decided it was best to 3D print the bulk of the structure that would hold the copper wires on top, and the nichrome wire at the bottom. The nichrome wire would then be inserted into the coffee to heat. 

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This was our sketch, along with the physical prototype, of our coffee heater tool