EDSGN 100
Section 008
Team 8
Submitted By: Shaylen Amin, Ryder Rigby, Reagan Thomson, Eric He (left to right)
Submitted To: Xinli Wu
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
IntroductionReagan Thomson
Design Approach
Engineering Analysis
(exh5244@psu.edu)
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.
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
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:
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
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:
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
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
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:
Metal+Components Total
Aluminum+Components $242.56
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
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
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
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
References: