Assignment

   Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered,

      answering:

         What will it do?   Who's done what beforehand?     What will you design? What materials and components will be used?          Where will come from? How much will they cost? What parts and systems will be made?  What processes will be used?          What questions need to be answered? How will it be evaluated? Your     project     should     incorporate     2D     and     3D     design,     additive     and     subtractive     fabrication     processes,     electronics     design     and     production,                                          microcontroller   interfacing   and   programming,   system   integration   and   packaging   Where   possible,   you   should   make   rather   than   buy   the   parts   of   your project. Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills, and be independently operable.

What materials and components will be used?

The box and the extractable drawer will be made of plexiglass. The handle will be printed in 3D with a pla filament. The other components of my “Box Food Saver” Project are: 1 a vacuum pump 1 a solenoid valve for air 1 a magnetic sensor 1 a neodymium magnet 1 a drawer opening button 1 a silicone tube 1 an electronic board with ATMega 328p microcontroller 1 a tube of glue for plexiglass

Where will come from?

The material will be purchased from the WEB. Some materials will be taken from the fablab.

How much will they cost?

The total cost of the material is under 100 euros. I   have   already   told   to   my   instructor   the   list   of   the   material,   the   website   where   to   buy   the material, the cost of the individual components and the total cost.

What parts and systems will be made?  

- The drawer handle. - A vinyl sticker. - The PCB (printed circuit board) - The Box parts

What processes will be used?

- Laser cutting to cut the plexiglass and realize the parts of the box. - The roland SRM-20 milling machine to realize the printed circuit on copper. - The design 3D and the 3d printing for the drawer handle. - Computer controlled cutting for the vinyl adhesive. - Microcontroller programming through ide arduino. - Assembly and testing of mechanical parts.

What questions need to be answered?

Will you be able to integrate the food saver box inside a refrigerator? will the vacuum that will be generated be able to slow down the oxidation of food? will    the    electronic    part    manage    correctly    the    release    of    the    drawer    and    the automatic vacuum activated by the magnetic sensor?

How will it be evaluated?

The evaluation of the project will certainly depend on the success of the various parts that compose it. If   the   engine   succeeds   in   generating   a   vacuum   enough   to   lock   the   drawer,   if   the   electronic   unit managed   by   the   microcontroller   will   work   properly,   opening   the   drawer   by   opening   the   solenoid   valve and   closing   it   when   it   receives   the   signal   from   the   magnetic   sensor,   then   the   perfectly   working   project will have a good result. There is still a lot of work to do and so many efforts to reach the goal. Of course I hope to do it!

What will you design?

The   physical   part   of   my   "Box   food   saver"   consists   of   an   external   box   and   an   internal   drawer.   I   will need   a   support   for   the   engine   that   generates   the   vacuum,   an   electronic   card   to   be   programmed to   manage   the   various   components   used.   a   handle   to   open   and   close   the   drawer   and   a   button   to activate the solenoid valve which will introduce air allowing the drawer to open.

Who's done what beforehand? 

The   idea   of   storing   food   under   vacuum   certainly   is   not   a   recent   invention,   however,   doing   research   on   the internet   I   did   not   find   any   electronic   equipment   that   was   placed   in   the   fridge   and   had   the   automatic vacuum.   I   found   many   types   of   containers,   especially   with   pump   manual   activation,   or   with   automatic vacuum but using bags or containers to be connected by pipes or special caps.(see the images below) All   these   systems   require   time   and   accessories,   my   automatic   box   only   requires   pressing   a   button   to insert the food or take it and close the drawer!

What will it do?

My   final   project   concerns   food   waste   and   how   to   reduce   it   by   increasing   the   storage   time   of   food   in   the home environment ( more details ) The   main   idea   is   to   use   the   normal   cold   of   the   refrigerator   together   with   the   principle   of   slowing   down the oxidation of food thanks to the vacuum. The automatic vacuum is practical to use and does not require bags, manual pumps or other time. The practicality of use could be the winning weapon.

For each question the answer ...

This   week   we   are   asked   to   answer   a   series   of   questions   that   will   be   useful   to   define   the   fundamental   parts   of   the   final   project   and   also   to   proceed   with   the implementation. I will try to answer in order: