The Problem

The goal of this project was to create a small cutting tool. I decided to focus on kitchen utensils specifically. We were told the final product would be made out of a made-up indestructible very strong almost clay-like material. I looked at pre-existing products and eventually came across the classic push-down apple cutter. Specifically the ones with two handles, a circle in the middle for the core, and the 8 apple slices it produces. Thinking back to the times when I have used this product before, I always found it extremely difficult to push down and found it took a lot more force than I believe is necessary to slice an apple. I also noticed with smaller apples a lot of the parts close to the core would go to waste because of the only one sized core circle in the middle.

The Solution

I wanted to design an apple cutter that was much more comfortable to hold, easier to slice, and allows for more freedom in apple slice sizes. The works like model that I created allows the user to easily slice through the apple and allows them much more control over the slice sizes and the number of slices. The looks like model represents the feeling and shape of the product and allows an accurate look into what the product would look and feel like.

A lot of sketching was done to figure out what the best shape and overall dimensions would be like. I also produced many works like models using hot glue, cardboard, and any different kinds of metal that I could find. I did this to find the best blade piece for the most accurate works like model I could create. 

The works like model is made of cardboard, hot glue, and the metal that worked best was a cut piece of sheet metal that was taken from the back of an old broken microwave. 

The looks like model is made of foam, using drydex and gesso to give it a more plastic look. The tools used to cut the foam was a hack saw and multiple different grits of sandpaper.