The Flash: Dumpling Maker

EDSGN 100
Section 008
Team 8

Submitted By: Shaylen Amin, Ryder Rigby, Reagan Thomson, Eric He (left to right)
Submitted To: Xinli Wu

Date of Submission: 3/19/17

Abstract: Group 8s, Eric He, Shaylen Amin, Ryder Rigby, and Reagan Thomson, built a

semi-automatic dumpling maker called the Flash, that fills the requirements of the Customer

Needs Assessment. The Flash is quick and efficient. There are two funnels, one for making the

dough and the other for mixing the filling. The machine works in a logical manner, using a

conveyer belt to channel the dumpling towards the clamp, at which point the final product is

produced. The machine also accounts for the excess dough that is removed when the dumpling is

clamped, so the user does not have to worry about making a mess. Additionally, each assembled

part is removable and dishwasher safe, so that it may go into the washing machine after being

used.
 Table of Contents

Cover PageRyder Rigby (rmr5686@psu.edu)

Abstract...Reagan Thomson (ret5183@psu.edu)

IntroductionReagan Thomson

Table of ContentsRyder Rigby

Description of the Design Task

Problem Statement......Reagan Thomson

Mission Statement..Reagan Thomson

Design Specifications.....Ryder Rigby

Design Approach

Project Management - Gantt Chart.....Reagan Thomson

Customer Needs Assessment...Shaylen Amin(s ka5313@psu.edu)

Concept GenerationReagan Thomson

Design Selection Matrices..Ryder Rigby

The Final Design and its Prototype

A Complete Set of Working Drawings of Our Final Design.Shaylen Amin

Prototype Scale and Digital ImagesRyder Rigby

Design Features...Shaylen Amin

Operation Instructions.Shaylen Amin

Engineering Analysis

Working Mechanism (How it Works)...................................................................Eric He

(exh5244@psu.edu)

Cost Analysis.......Shaylen Amin

Summary and Conclusions...........................................................................................................................Eric He

References.....Shaylen Amin

Introduction: For design project one, Edesign Section 008 was tasked with designing a brand

new dumpling maker that fits the criteria given by our instructor, Xinlu Wu. The class was asked

to create a machine that is cost efficient, easy to use, effective, and dishwasher safe. The machine

would have to produce 10 dumplings in under one minute, mix the ingredients, and make the

dough.

Description of the Design Task

Problem Statement: There are no available machines that produce a large of dumplings in a

short amount of time. The constructed machine needs to be semi-automatic or fully automatic,

easy to use and maintain, dishwasher safe, cost efficient, and easily storable. The biggest

obstacle when creating this project is time management. Our group must work together

efficiently to design a successful product.

Mission Statement: Group 8s goal is to build a dumpling maker that meets the criteria stated

above in our problem statement as well as any other needs on the Consumer Needs Assessment.

Primarily, we are looking to improve the speed at which quality dumplings are produced.

Design Specifications:

1) The dumpling maker should be automatic or semi-automatic.

2) The dumpling maker should produce no less than 10 dumplings per minute on average.

3) The material cost for the dumpling maker should not exceed $200, unless it can be justified.
4) The dumpling maker should be safe as a food processor, easy to maintain, safe to use, and

dishwasher safe.

Design Approach

Project management - Gantt Chart:

Customer Needs Assessment: This machine was developed purely to assist the customer in his

or her needs for dumpling making. In order to do so, we contacted multiple restaurants. The most

compliant of them all, Yaos of Montgomery, New Jersey, emphasized the need for speed of
production. The manager also mentioned that such a product could reduce the amount of money

that the restaurant would need pay employees. We incorporated the idea of speed into the

dumpling maker by making the design very compact. If it takes less time for the ingredients to

move around, then that will increase the amount of dumplings that it can produce.

Concept Generation:
Design Selection Matrices:

Table 2. Design Matrix

Table 3. Design Matrix 2

Final design and its Prototype

 Working Drawings (1:1 with prototype, 0.2:1 on sheet for visual clarity):

FIG. 6. Full Sheet

Additional Close up Views:

 FIG. 7. Top View

FIG. 8. Front View

FIG. 9. Right-Side View

Prototype scale and a digital image of prototype:

FIG. 10 and 11. Views of Prototype

Design Features: This machine features the use of a mixers, high volume dispensers, a conveyor

belt, rollers and a complex clamping mechanism. All components of this machine are compacted

tightly to ensure maximum efficiency when stored away. All parts are easy to access from all

angles as well, ensuring the removability of components for dishwasher use.

Operation Instructions: The machine operates purely by the action of the operator. There is a

hand-operated mixing mechanism that keeps the dumpling ingredients moving in their

containers. To start the machine, simply press the side button. This starts the release of dough

and all of the moving mechanisms in the machine.

Working Mechanism (How it Works):

First the ingredients for the dough is mixed within the first container using the hand crank

which is the semi-automatic portion of the mechanism. Then after the dough is mixed well, one

must press the side button which releases the dough into a tube that allows the dough to move

relatively faster into the two rollers which rolls the dough into thin slices. The low-altitude meat

dispenser allows the meat-mix to not splatter and form well-shaped dumplings. The meat

dispenser will be timed perfectly to dispense the pre-made meat mix onto the middle of the spot

of the dough. The conveyor belt will then push the dough with the filling onto the sharp edged

clamp, which will be propelled upwards by pistons underneath the clamp. This will allow the

dough to be cut and separated from the rest of the dough. The clamp will then close and form the

dumpling.

Cost Analysis:

Base Material Quantity in lbs (Fixed mass) Cost x Quantity

Hard Plastics 14.3 $44.71

Aluminum 14.3 $56.41

Stainless Steel 14.3 $271.32

Table 4. Metal Pricing

Component Quantity Cost x Quantity

Mini Motors (clamp and belt) 4 $166.08

-20 Screws and Nuts 16 $8.08

Thin Rubber (belt and rollers) 75 Sq-inches $9.98

Wiring 2 Feet $2.01

 Components Total $186.15
Table 5. Components

Metal+Components Total

Hard Plastics+Components $230.86

Aluminum+Components $242.56

Stainless Steel+Components $456.47

Table 6. Combined Totals

These three materials are the main ones that we decided to focus on. When comparing the three

totals, one notices a great jump from aluminum to stainless steel. Stainless steel may last longer

and may be sturdy; however, it is such a jump in price that the markup will not be profitable.

Hard plastics may be cheaper, but they are not nearly as sturdy and can be damaged easily. This

leaves aluminum. It is a relatively sturdy metal that is reasonably priced, so that would be the

most cost effective metal in this situation. We would mark up the price by 50%, creating a

reasonable asking price of $363.84 ($363.99 on sticker) to be paid by the consumer.

Summary and Conclusion:

Our project overall was a success. The dumpling maker was small enough in size to be

portable yet efficient and fast enough to met the standard of ten dumplings per minute. Many

issues mentioned by the Chinese restaurant owners were portability and efficiency so we focused

on making the design as small/portable as possible. Our small/portable design also allowed us to

make a very efficient and fast dumpling maker. The small design would allow the dimensions of

the design to be as close apart as possible without sacrificing the project itself. During the

making of our prototype, the group had to adjust many of the components of the dumpling
maker. The group first began with with a design too large and many conflicting design which

lead us to debate the importance of each design criteria. We then decided on which design was

the best using the design matrix and then decided on Reagan's revised design combined with

Shaylens design. We also were taught by Xinli Wu, our EDSGN 100 professor, that our

prototypes dough maker exit would be too small to effectively push through and therefore we

decided to make the mouth much more efficient by creating a rectangular, much larger hole. We

decided on the size of the dough/meat dispensers so that it would get a chance to be used as a

semi-automatic and wouldnt need refilling of ingredients too quick.

During the creation of our prototype we also discovered that in order to satisfy the design

specification of being dishwasher safe we had to make the design with detachable parts with

stainless steel so the ease-of-use would be much better.

The criteria that we could improve on would be the safety factor of our design. We do not

have much to prevent someone from placing their fingers into the machine nor do we have things

to prevent anything to get stuck in the machine. If more time was permitted we would put on

safety precautions such as a layer to place above the clamp to prevent accidental injuries. Overall

we covered many of our criteria pretty well.

References:

"McMaster-Carr." McMaster-Carr. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2017.