Week 5

In this week's lesson, we were unfortunately bounded in our very own homes due to the Covid 19 spike in cases. Nonetheless, we managed to capture the essentials of the lesson!

Designs for Materials♺

Let's have a brief summary on what the topic means. 
Finding a material with property attributes that meets or exceeds the requirement of a product and at the same time does not possess manufacturing difficulties and is not exorbitant in price is a dream of many product design engineers.

In this lesson, we explored the different designs used. A timeline of how hair dryer evolved is shown below

We can see how the design of the hair dryer has changed over the years.

After a mini debate with the class. We were tasked to select a material from a list of exotic materials presented to us. 

Time to get to work!

Activity Time!🕐

We went into our breakout rooms to fill our activity worksheet.

After much research, brainstorming and discussion. Our group decided on bamboo fibre as our material.

Class:	DCHE/FT/2A/03	Group:	1
Name of Members	Dorson Haziq Derrick Hai Jie
Name of material	Bamboo Fibre/Fabric
Chemical Name	Nil
General Description	Fabrics made from 100% natural bamboo or a bamboo rayon, where bamboo is the source of cellulose needed to make resin which is the spun and woven. Bamboo rayon is soft and has a subtle luster, whereas fabrics made from natural bamboo are generally stiffer and is similar in touch and appearance to linen. Natural bamboo also contains a bacteriostatic agent that makes it anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
General Properties	Eco-friendly          Anti-bacterial          Soft and flexible
Opportunities	Bamboo fabrics are sustainable alternative to resource-demanding textiles such as cotton and synthetic fibres. Bamboo contains a bacteriostatic agent that makes it anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, which have great advantages for upholstery and textiles in the home. Bamboo fibres can be mixed with other organic or synthetic fibres to make the fabrics, which allows for extreme versatility in terms of styles.
Discuss among the group how this material can be used as a direct replacement to a material in an existing product without any significant changes in the design Our group decided to implement bamboo fibre to bedsheets. Bamboo fibres have bacteriostatic agent, making it anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. This prevents infestation of bed bugs and dust mites. Since bamboo itself repels common allergens too. Since it is eco-friendly, having large quantities of bedsheets with multiple designs would leave less carbon footprint as compared to conventional bedsheets made of a mixture of cotton and polyester (man-made). With the soft and flexible texture, it makes the bedsheet comfortable as well.
Discuss among the group how this material can be used to enhance the functionality of an existing product through some changes in the design. Socks are usually made of cotton and nylon and are usually paired with covered shoes which may not be very breathable. This leads to perspiration from the feet, which leads to potential bacterial growth and even fungal infection. Which is a common problem that people face.   Bamboo fibres have bacteriostatic agent, we could combine bamboo fibre with nylon/ cotton to reduce bacteria growth.   Bamboo fibres are also hypoallergenic. The fibres within the bamboo fabric are round and naturally smooth with no sharp spurs which will irritate sensitive skin, making it perfect for anyone who may suffer allergic reactions to other types of fabrics like wool or hemp.(Bamboo Bubby, 2019)
References: Bamboo Bubby, 2019. How Bamboo Fabric Can Help Soothe Sensitive Skin Caused by Eczema [online]. Available at: https://www.bamboobubby.com.au/blog/how-bamboo-fabric-can-help-soothe-sensitive-skin-caused-by-eczema/ (Accessed 20 May 2021)

What did we grasp from this activity?👐

Upon completion of the activity, we realised that many thing change as time goes by. More specifically in this lesson, we were touching on materials. Most of us are only below the age 20 in our group, what we see now has been researched and redesigned on. The original product that was invented was much more different than what we had imagine.

For example, the hair-dryer that was invented in 1890, due to the design of the product, is was heavy, big, bulky and even made out of metal.

We conclude that different material play important roles in the shaping of new designs and we believe that this increase the product's functionality and purpose which improves the user's experience as well.