Problem

I noticed that the current water filter holder accessory was over-engineered in certain areas and was hard to remove from cold water tanks with a smaller footprint. I hypothesized that a redesign of the accessory could result in cost and material savings while also addressing the issue of removal from small tanks without compromising structural integrity.

Design

Initial designs prioritized removing material in areas that were found not to break when subjected to compressive loads from an Instron machine. These initial tests would provide the guidance for designs moving forward. After observing how various modifications affected part cost and structure I determined that modifying the top of the accessory would be the best path moving forward. All designs were created by me utilizing my design skillset in SolidWorks.

Testing

Since I created various different designs while determining the best for cost reduction I was not able to test each design with the Instron. Fortunately I was able to develop my skills using the built in SolidWorks simulation FEA analysis. Here I was able to learn a new skill and apply it to my project to help support my findings. Since the initial design saw failure towards the bottom I looked to avoid that in the redesign. On the costing side of the project I utilized costing software APriori to run each of the different designs and get various important outputs such as part weight, part cycle time, and per unit part cost.

Results

After iterating on multiple designs I settled on the one that featured an arch at the top of the accessory replacing the bowl shape that was previously present. This redesign resulted in more than fifteen percent reductions in weight, cycle time, and cost without compromising the required structure. 3-D printed versions of the final design received positive feedback from various users polled around the office that spoke both on the improved aesthetics as well as the ease of use when used in smaller water tanks compared to the original.