3. Designing prototype dryer We did some research on other
solar dryers We used SolidWorks to draw up the design.
4. Building the dryer Purchased MDO board from Lezzer Lumber
Utilized the Penn State Learning Factory to build the final
product
5. Beginning ofResearch the semester Middle of Development the
semester Currently Building in this phase
6. Research We had access to plenty of other designs
online
7. How it works Rises out of container Evaporates exterior
moisture Heats upAir enters here
8. Different DesignsWe took away the fan but kept the hole This
was our original design. We moved away from a few different
aspects. Added another leg for extra support
9. Considerations for design We wanted to minimizetime and work
put in and increase output from current methods We put an emphasis
on empathic design
10. Regular meetings to shareresearch We talked about the We
met in the research we foundknowledge commons and our design every
Wednesday
11. Problem: Facilities andequipment
12. Solution We also found some information We got certified at
online about moringa leaves and the Learning dehydration to help us
understand Factory to work on what to build the project with their
tools
13. DraftingWe started out with this design but soon realized
that we could improve it We stressed empathic design to make our
product better. These drawings helped us to figure out what
materials to use.
14. Problem We really wanted to use wood-plastic composite to
build our dryer for maximized durability outside. WPC is really
expensive!
15. Solution After talking to Professor Erdman, we decided to
switch our material to MDO board It was a much cheaper solution to
our problem.
16. Beginning the process ofbuilding We are trying to utilize
as much of the wood as possible to minimize waste Were spending a
lot of time in the Learning Factory building our dryer.
17. Problem Penn State doesnt exactly have a premier wood shop
open 24 hours a day We have to put ourbest effort in to get the job
done because woodwork is not a quick thing.
18. SolutionWe are still currently working on this one. As soon
as we have this figured out, the job will be complete.
19. What welearned
20. Collective Intelligence We had to use a lot of collective
intelligence to complete the project Nobody knew everything but
everybody knew something
21. Finding information We werent given a lot of information
about the project so we took it on ourselves to find it There was
actually a fair amount online about DIY dehydrators
22. Time management Time we should have spent Research
Development Building TestingResearch DevelopmentBuilding Testing
Too much time developing
23. How to improve motivation We started out the semester with
meetings every Wednesday to develop and design our dryer We
utilized scheduling resources to pick theperfect time for
everybody
24. Group communication We kept in touch and it worked out
great.
25. The future ofthe MoringaLeaf Dryer
26. We loved this project Moringa is great for helping out the
economy in the area we send our dryer to The dehydrator is actually
a very neat DIY project useful beyond processing moringa
leaves
27. It has a lot of potential We know this product will
increase the efficiency of drying moringa leaves by making it
faster and easier
28. Two paths Were at work on the dryer now Not Completed
completed Plenty of Design Field Testing research available
29. ProblemOur design was and It wouldve been way too expensive
to ship
30. Solution We scaled down our model to be smaller and more
portable Its a much more useful product now that its not a
behemoth
31. Advice tofuture groups inENGR 493
32. Figure out the problems from past research as early as
possible. The problems we ran into are now available for future
groups. It would be wise for them to try to avoid the same
issues.
33. Use the Gantt chart! This would haveThe Gantt chart can
prevented us fromkeep your group on spending too much time time and
focused. designing the project.
34. BUILD, BUILD, BUILD Our group didnt start New groups
shouldbuilding until it was pretty get comfortable with late.
building a piece or two earlier so that they dont feel rushed.
35. The bigpicture
36. Were en route to finishing thedryer Were looking to have it
done by Tuesday Well bedisassembling it tobe reassembled in
Senegal