3D Printed Object — Salt Cellar

For this assignment, I aimed to create a salt cellar that would be comfortable and practical to use in my kitchen. My current storage method — a mason jar — is not the most ergonomic option when I need to grab a pinch of salt while cooking. To start my design process, I sketched a few ideas to explore different concepts for the salt cellar.

Design

To visualize my design, I started with some sketches, exploring different ideas for the salt cellar’s shape and functionality.

Initial and later sketches of the salt basin.

I then moved on to creating a low-fidelity clay prototype. Reusing the clay from my first assignment, I created a stegosaurus-shaped design, which, although fun, turned out to be impractical due to thin sides/overhangs. Moreover, during user testing, I found that this design was not suitable for individuals with larger hands.

Upper: Low fidelity clay prototype (dinosaur ideation). Lower: Initial 3D model of prototype.

I revised my approach and decided to go for a more traditional and practical design. I created an initial 3D model for the salt cellar, considering usability, ease of assembly, and aesthetics. The design featured three parts: a lower cylindrical salt basin, a middle interlocking piece, and an upper decorative lid.

Final 3D printed prototype, closed (upper) and open (lower)

Analysis

The final 3D printed salt cellar prototype turned out to be a success. It addressed the issues with the previous mason jar storage method and met the project’s goals. The three-part design made it easy to print and assemble, and it allowed for simple refilling and access to the salt during cooking.

I used pink HTPLA filament for 3D printing, with a nozzle temperature of 235 degrees Celsius and a print bed temperature of 60°C. This choice of filament provided a balance between strength and ease of printing, and the elevated bed temperature ensured good adhesion.

Overall, the design was simple and easy to print was still allowing a (relatively) reliable grip, making it convenient to access salt while cooking.

The decorative elements on the salt cellar added to its aesthetic appeal, making it a visually pleasing and very pink addition to the kitchen. Regarding desirability, users appreciated the combination of functionality and visual design!

However, there was a minor usability issue with the top part of the salt cellar. The design did not include a clear feature to grip or pull the top, so removing it was somewhat challenging due to a lack of friction. This was a valuable point of improvement identified during the user testing and critique, and in future iterations I’d experiment with the handle even more.

Reflection

During the design phase, I initially used Rhino but found it somewhat overwhelming in the 3D space. To simplify my design process, I switched to TinkerCAD, which offered a more intuitive and user-friendly interface. I experimented with various features in TinkerCAD before finalizing my design, which proved to be a practical choice for this project.

For 3D printing, I used Prusa Slicer, which was effective in preparing the model for printing. However, my limited experience led me to overlook a setting that could have improved the fit between the parts of the salt cellar. Next time, I’d pay attention to all the settings in the slicing software to achieve my desired results the first (being optimistic) time around.

The 3D printing process itself went smoothly once I successfully configured all the parameters correctly. However, it was a learning curve to get the material, temperature, and settings just right. This reinforced to me that precision and attention to detail are crucial in the 3D printing process! Finally, testing the initial prototype with potential users provided crucial insights and guided me in making necessary adjustments.

ChatGPT used for initial paragraph drafting, then text was substantially edited.