Category: Project 3

Day 2: Friday – The auger screw and mixing chamber

helenewaldmannLeave a comment

One of the things we believe to be most challenging about the mechanics of the sourdough machine, is dispensing the flour. Flour is generally hard to pour evenly, for example when pouring it from the bag to a bowl. It tends to stick together when tilting the bag, before it suddenly slips and too much flour falls into the bowl. Therefore, we needed to make a prototype to test if it would be beneficial to dispense the flour by moving it with an auger screw which we 3D printed. We tried moving it upwards, sideway and downwards and learned that moving it upwards is possible, but very hard. Therefore we figured that this would not be the most efficient way to transport the flour. Moving it sideways, however, is possible and works quite well.

  • Testing the auger screw sideways
  • The auger screw is inside the pipe

The problem with moving it sideways and downwards was that not all the flour would fall down and get fed into the auger screw. Most of the time the flour would build up along the side. We also tested different types of containers.

We also drew drafts to decide the size and placement of the components, to make sure that everything will work together. The plan for monday is to start looking more at the shape and sizes of the containers and testing the water pump.

First prototype of the mixing chamber and the mixing blade

Day 1: Thursday – The Sourdough machine

helenewaldmannLeave a comment

For our final project we have chosen to make a sourdough machine. The target user is the home baking enthusiasts – the person who like to make great bread using their own sourdough.

We discovered the need for a sourdough machine, as we, and people we know have struggled to keep their sourdough alive, especially during busy periods or when going travelling. You can put your sour dough in the fridge, but only for a short period of time. After a week you risk that your sourdough goes bad.

The Sourdough machine will keep the sourdough alive, by mixing the dough, with certain interval, based on the room temperature. Every day or every other day the dough will be fed, which means adding flour and water. After the feeding the machine will mix the dough with flour and water till the mixture is homogeneous.

The user can choose between 3 modes: “Start a new Sourdough”, “Travel mode” and “Keep it Kicking”. The modes are controlled from the webapp.

The Start a new Sourdough setting will mix water and flour to start a sourdough from scratch. When the starter is finished the user turns on “Keeping it Kicking” which is the default setting. On this setting the sourdough is kept alive and the user can put in the dates where he or she is going to bake, so that the machine can make extra sourdough. When the sourdough is not used for baking, the user has to remove some of it every other week or whenever the container is full. If this happens, the user will get a notification. The user will also get a notification if the machine is out of water or flour, no matter the setting.

The Travel mode is for keeping the sourdough alive, when the user is away from home. When starting Travel mode the user will be asked, how many days the Travel mode should be active. They will also be guided through how much sourdough to remove, to make room for the growing dough. On travel mode less water and flour is added every day to keep the dough active and also make sure that the dough can fit in the container and that the machine does not run out of flour and water.

Components

  • 3x stepper motor
  • 3x stepper drivers
  • 3x ultrasonic sensor
  • 1.3 inch OLED screen
  • 1x peristaltic pump
  • 1x RTC
  • BMP module
  • NodeMCU
  • Arduino Uno
  • (Peltier elements)
  • (Weight)

Time schedule

To get a overview of the project we made a timeplan. We decided to aim for being finished with the machine on the 20th of June, to make sure we have time left to finish the report and make the video. We plan to finish everything on the 25th of June, so we will have time on the 26th of June, to make the final preparations for the exam.

Day 1: Thursday – Auger screw prototyping

mcbasseLeave a comment

Today, the first day of 3 week course in mechatronics we have already begun prototyping. Essential to the machine is dosage of flour. We’ve brainstormed several ideas and a simple, versatile solution to control dosage amount is accomblished with the auger screw. This method of controlling dry powder is already well known and established in many machines.

We have to construct our own and have it accostumed to the material attributes of flour. this will require propor testing. From thingyverse we have downloaded an Auger screw as STL file. We modified the file to our liking and begun printing.

Closing in on a project

emiliekjeldsenLeave a comment

For today we had each prepared a concept for project 3 to share with the group. The projects that came up were a ‘keep your sour dough alive’ machine, two different types of instant ice cream makers, a weight with nutrition and recipe information, a wine cooler to keep track of your wine and the temperature, and a smart grill.

After each member had explained their idea, we had a group discussion about what would be most fitting to work on for project 3. The two concepts we saw most potential in were the sour dough machine and the ice cream maker. We discussed the two remaining ideas with Ali, to get guidance and a new angle on it. We learned that it was important to clarify the problem before creating a solution, as we risked solving a ‘self-made’ issue.

We also discussed the most challenging aspect of the two solutions. For the sour dough machine it is measuring the pH-value and dealing with the growing manner of the sour dough. As the machine should add flour and water every day or every other day, there need to be a way to discard excess sour duogh. The challenging aspect of the instant ice cream maker is how to cool the ice cream properly, to achieve a good quality with different types of ice cream.

The next step is to evaluate the two concepts up against each other, so we can make a reasoned decision about which concept we will work on in June.

Project 3 – FOOD

mcbasseLeave a comment

The subjekt “FOOD” was presented to the mechatronics team. Initially, the group had to adjust to the new topic and the divergent process should be launched. Loosely and firmly, the talk crossed the table with crazy ideas.

Aksel and Sebastian go on their way to Skylab Food and get in touch with Ruberto early. He is open, helpful and comes with some key points to the topic: It is important to find a new topic. A new way of doing things. In the world, there are many alternative ways of processing foodstuffs, which are considered either exclusive, industrial processes or consumed. New technologies need to find their way to the everyday kitchen. In Skylab FOOD, we were shown technologies to cook without heating and an ultrasonic device to evaporate liquid without heating. Common to the technologies is that they have no everyday use – and are therefore an example of what has a potential in the consumer market.

POWER to the Group

We decided to go on an excursion to get new inputs. In power, we asked the staff for new products and technologies within food. First we were shown new product releases, for example a m-hood that is on the table. Next, the group searched the other department’s stores, which offered:

Various coffee machines, blenders, ergonomics, visual design user-friendliness and more. Many products are conventional, as one expects them. Few new products dominate the market, just new models and new designs. In fact, the visit could help us find possible categories, but it is difficult to pinpoint the concrete input.

The project must be based on a user group and an existing problem field. This is the basis and must above all be applied. We returned to skylab and wrapped up the day, by assigning a hometask: Everyone will look into and present an idea that we can work on in the 3-week period.