Can opener design

One Touch™ Can Opener

International Design Excellence Awards 2007

Gold Winner Case Study

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ONE TOUCH™ CAN OPENER INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2007 GOLD WINNER CASE STUDY

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One Touch ™ Can Opener

With sales of over 125 million units each year, the can opener is perhaps the quintessential everyday

tool. Since its invention in 1858 many different types of can opener varying in design and operating

innovation.

With no real change in the concept for many years and yet nearly half a representative sample of test

users reporting that the strength needed to grip a manual can opener’s levers while simultaneously

turning the handle was beyond their comfort level, DAKA set out to design a cordless, hands-free

can opener that could be easily used by anyone to open a can with the simple touch of a button.

The result was a multi award-winning, international best selling product.

The Problem

50Kg (100 lbs) and then requires an additional burst of power to actually pierce the can lid. When a

person uses a manual can opener, the application of appropriate force is instinctively adjusted until

To reproduce this in an automatic mechanism is not easy as evidenced by the many electric can

openers that still require human force to pierce the lid and start the cutting action. What was needed

was a mechanism that could not only walk the cutting blade around the can automatically as many

intervention.

timer needed to be included in order to bring the opener to a stop when a full cycle around the can

was complete and the can fully opened.

Furthermore, the internal mechanism, the motor, power source, gearing, cutting mechanism and

into an average kitchen drawer.

obtained from just two small AA batteries.

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The Solution

number of parts. To achieve the necessary reduction in parts, value engineering and intense

optimization was called for, central to which was the injection moulding process which would enable

multiple features and functions to be integrated into each part.

Using injection moulding conveniently afforded the creative team together with lead design consultant

Mark Sanders of MAS Design Products Ltd., the almost total creative freedom that a project such as

this called for. Most of the design goals were indeed met when it was realised that the drive gearing

for the powerful cutter could be combined with a ‘geneva mechanism’ for the timing function using

the same parts

and precision required for each part was achieved. For the internal mechanism, Acetal (plastic

Choosing Acetal also eliminated the necessity for separate bearings, allowing the part count to be

reduced even further.

The result was a unique (and patented) mechanism, made of just 3 parts. Several functions being

integrated into each part which can generate the necessary 50 Kg force, provide the timing function

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The Design

In the early stages of design, several concepts were developed and full size mock-ups were tested

focus on ease of manufacture, rather than ease of use. They highlighted elements of early mockups

that made the shape more unattractive or introduced ‘dirt traps. They also highlighted just how

can opener functioned better were chosen over those prototype openers that actually did function

better - a clear signal that the key to creating the ultimate can opener lay in the combination of

superior functionality and attractive design.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci

alongside the product’s overall shape. In fact, bearing in mind the importance that design would

clearly play in the product’s success, even the appearance of the internal details was carefully

attractive.

With the number of parts down to a bare minimum and with the comments of the test panel in

mind, unsightly features were then eliminated from the design; the can opener’s cutter and drive

wheels were made to retract when not in use which also meant the potential for any user injury

streamlined by splitting the unit into two halves which could be easily slid apart.

the sharp edges and even sharper blades of traditional can openers proved altogether more inviting

to the touch.

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Conclusion

– as evidenced by the One Touch™ Can Opener’s success.

Can Opener has proven highly popular with all audiences. Household buyers like its sleek design

and the convenience of a small, battery-operated but powerful opener. Parents praise its safety

without the manual strength to initiate an opener’s cutting action.

The runaway success of the One Touch™ can opener - over 7 million units have been sold to date

- pointed to the overwhelming market potential for simple, smart, handheld kitchen appliances that

address practical needs with style. From this core concept and following the same philosophy, a

whole family of products has been developed under a new One Touch™ brand including a jar opener

and a wine bottle opener amongst others.


Simply place the Can Opener on top of the can and press the button.

The opener ‘walks’ around the can and switches itself off.

2 31

Remove the can’s lid.

One Touch™ Automatic Can Opener


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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Pat Mah

Mark Sanders

ABOUT DAKA

Founded in 1993, Daka is an award-winning design and development company from Hong Kong.

Daka designs, develops and markets innovative products for the global consumer market via

established and well-know brands. Daka is a leader in applying technology to consumer products

and has developed a strong intellectual property portfolio, which the company leverages to develop

www.daka.com.hk

www.onetouchproducts.com

ABOUT IDEA

Winning the IDEA is a distinction like no other that brands a design as the very best in the business,

among peers, among clients and among consumers around the world.

IDSA is the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education,

information, community and advocacy.

For more information about IDEA, please refer to www.idsa.org

Pat Mah is fueled by a passion for innovation and a personal mission to

produce high-quality products. “There have been attempts to develop a

‘better’ can opener, but never a completely No-Hands operation like One

Touch.”

Mark Sanders is a mechanical engineer who saw the light (that style does

matter !) so retrained as a designer at the RCA in London. Now working

as Designer and Inventor he specialises in combining structural and

mechanical engineering with industrial design, and especially elegant,

affordable, folding and dynamic products.

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© 2007 Daka Research Inc. All Right Reserved.

CONTACTS

Giovanni Zangrande

Marketing Director

Tel: 852-27563862

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

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Can opener design