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Prototyping, redesign and production plan for the Angkor Light

Kranen, Martijn (2007) Prototyping, redesign and production plan for the Angkor Light.

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Abstract:INTRODUCTION This report is the result of a bachelor graduation project at the University of Twente commissioned by Kamworks, a small Cambodian company founded by the Dutch charity foundation Pico Sol. The company itself aims at the production and sale of affordable PV products for the rural consumer market in Cambodia. The project covers the prototyping, the redesign and the design of the production plan for a solar lantern. THE PROBLEM Cambodia is a country with limited power resources. About 90% of the Cambodian households have no access to electricity infrastructure for reliable lighting. These people are also very poor and live below the poverty line of less than 1$ per day. Needs like lightning are not obviously catered for, because of this limited power availability. The alternative, using a fuel lamp, is very expensive because of the high fuel price. Another problem Cambodia faces is the unemployment rate. General wages are low and because of the turbulent history about 60% of the population is 20 years or younger. Job opportunities for this group are very low. ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING LANTERN The project started at Kamworks aims to solve a part of both problems described. In association with the Delft University the first version of a solar lantern has been developed, delivering both an affordable lightning solution to the rural population and work opportunities to young Cambodians. This version of the lantern was designed by Stephen Boom in 2005 as a result of a master graduation project. The complete design process was done in the Netherland, exact for a field study of about 6 weeks. The lantern had not been produced and tested locally and exact knowledge of the Cambodian situation was not always available during the design process. This project started with a global analysis of the situation and the problem. Next the existing prototype of the lantern was reproduced in Cambodia, followed by a general analysis of the result and the production process. Several tests were done with this prototype, including a drop test, a water test and a user test to determine deficiencies of the product. REDESIGN OF THE LANTERN Using the requirements formulated by the company and the deficiencies found a redesign was carried out. Every aspect was looked after, but special attention was given to a low price for the product and the possibility to produce it locally. Inquiries were done to obtain the lowest price for components used. The product was altered to be waterproof, to be more resistible against dropping on the ground and to be easier to produce at Kamworks. DESIGN OF THE PRODUCTION PLAN The production of a product in Cambodia differs a lot from a situation in the Netherland. Production aspects like availability of machines and labour were examined and potential problems were investigated. Based on the findings the design of the product was altered and a production plan was made. Several tools including moulds and bending aids were designed and tested. An scheme was made to describe the assembly of the total product. RESULTS The results of this assignment are a prototype, a complete redesign of the lantern and a production plan including the design of the tools needed.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Clients:
Kamworks
Faculty:ET: Engineering Technology
Subject:21 art forms
Programme:Industrial Design BSc (56955)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/58372
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