Toothbrush DesignCollin RussoDavid TawadrasBrian JohnsonEngineering Design 100

Abstract (Executive Summary)

To create a new innovative toothbrush that consumers will love because of the products

durability, ease of use, aesthetics, and price. We will have to create new design concepts that focus on the

design of energy storage, brush head design, and body shape that will appeal to most if not all

consumers. The product will appeal to not only children 6+, but all adults will enjoy this product.

Introduction to Our Design

Toothbrushes are used everyday by everyone. They help keep our teeth healthy so we can perform life’s

smallest tasks. Purchasing a toothbrush can get very confusing, price is often on the top of consumers

minds, but many other factors often play a key role in their decisions. We want to design a toothbrush that

will be appealing in every way while performing its job better than any other toothbrush can.

Mission Statement

“To design an innovative electric toothbrush that is comfortable, easy to use,

and cost efficient.”

Hierarchy of Importance

1. Function1.1 Cleans teeth safely and effectively

2. User Friendly2.1 Simple design2.2 Easy to use2.3 Easy to clean2.4 Low Maintenance2.5 Efficient2.6 Safe

3. Comfortability

3.1 Comfortable on teeth3.2 Comfortable in hand

4. Aesthetics4.1 Attractive product4.2 Personalize able

5. Durability5.1 Waterproof5.2 Reliable5.3 Long lasting

6. Packaging6.1 Lightweight6.2 Shows product clearly

Customer Needs Assessment

Weights of Criteria

Packaging Function Aesthetics User Friendly Comfortablilty Durability Total Weighting

Packaging 1 0.17 0.33 0.25 0.33 0.50 2.58 0.052631579

Function 6.00 1 2.00 1.50 2.00 3.00 15.50 0.315789474

Aesthetics 3.00 0.5 1 0.75 1.00 1.50 7.75 0.157894737

User Friendly 4.00 0.67 1.33 1 1.33 2.00 10.33 0.210526316

Comfortability 3.00 0.5 1.00 0.75 1 1.50 7.75 0.157894737

Durability 2.00 0.33 0.67 0.50 0.67 1 5.17 0.105263158

Total 49.08

Customer Needs Assessment

Patent ResearchExternal Search

Function Gears, Pivotal motion Alkaline Batteries (AAA), Circuits Switch, button Housing, Design

Oscillating Head5617603557728573310766536066

Energy Storage5376480 7767336 6780539 5510203

On/off control421079147094383489936

Shape/Aesthetics 722858311015111

BenchmarkingExternal Search

Model Number/Name Spinbrush My Way Braun Oral-B Vital Sonic Clean Interplak MODEL #DPI6 Braun Oral B Stages WALLE

Power 2x AAA battery Rechargeable battery Rechargeable 2x AAA battery

Cleaning vibrating head CrissCross bristles triple-action brush head Vibrating head

Aesthetics Customizable Shades of Blue Plain white Cartoon character

Comfortability Average no grip Rubber Grip Average no grip Odd Shape, Hard to Grip

Cost $9.99 $24.82 $17 $5.99

DissectionExternal Search

(See next slide for detailed information about parts)

DissectionBill of Materials

Part# Part Name QTY SOPEffect

Function Mass(oz, g) Material Manuf. Process Dimensions

ALL IN (mm) Cost

1 Battery cover screw 1 No Holds on battery

cover .1g Metal Pressed 4π x 4 .01

2 Battery cover 1 No Holds in batteries 6.1g Metal, Plastic Molded 15 x 25 x 30 .253 2x AAA batteries 2 Yes Provide power 22.3g Metal, Acid Molded and pressed 100π x 40 .75

4 Head Washer 1 No Provides protection to plastic housing .2g Metal Molded

36π x 2 .06

5 Motor axel 1 YesTranslates power

from motor to head

1.7g Metal, Plastic, Rubber Molded

9π x 65 .33

6 Motor Cover 1 No Keeps motor in place 1.4g Plastic Molded

10 x 20 x 45 .15

7 Motor 1 Yes Provides movement 17.1g Metal, Plastic Manufactured 20 x 35 x 15 1.05

8 Round Gear 1 YesChanges direction

and speed of motor

.9g Plastic

Molded

100π x 5.19

9 Gear Transfer 1 Yes Changes motion to linear .4g Metal, Plastic Manufactured 6 x 20 x 5 .05

10 Bristles 2 yes Rotate to clean teeth 1.5g Plastic, Fibers Machined (.25π +104) x 12 .28

11 Switch Protector 1 No Waterproofs button .6g Rubber Molded 25 x 20 x 2 .03

12 Switch 1 Yes On and off switch 2.2g Metal, Plastic Molded 15 x 15 x 20 .03

13 Screws 4 No Keeps battery tray in place .6g Metal Molded

9π x 6 .04

14 Washer Screws 4 No Keeps motor in place .6g Metal Molded

16π x 6 .04

15 Battery Tray 1 Yes Holds batteries in place 2.2g Plastic, Metal Molded

40 x 20 x 5 .02

16 + Battery Conductor 1 Yes Conducts

electricity .7g Metal Machined 26 x 10 x .1 .03

17 -Battery Conductor 1 Yes

Conducts electricity

.8g Metal Machined

45 x 6 x .1 .03

18 Housing 2 Yes Keeps all the parts in place 22.7g Plastic Molded 205 x 30 x 10 .70

DissectionHierarchy of Parts

Assembly Level

Sub-assembly Level

Component Level

Base

Body

Motor

Body

Battery Screw

Battery Cover

Motor Axle

Motor Bristles

Battery Housing

Battery Conductor (+)

Batteries

Battery Conductor (-)

Gear Transfer

Round Gear

Washer screw

Screw

Switch

Head Washer

Switch Protector

Battery Tray

Motor Cover

DissectionProduct Pictures

Preliminary ConceptsConcept Generation

Head Design:1. The top component oscillates in a rotational motion about 120 degrees. The bottom bristles are stationary.2. The sets of bristles in circular clusters that rotate. Top goes counterclockwise, middle goes clockwise, and bottom goes counterclockwise.3. One cluster of bristles that shift up and down quickly.4. There are two clusters of bristles in circle that rotate. Top is clockwise, bottom is counterclockwise. Around the circular clusters are bristles aligned in an ellipse.5. There is one cluster of bristles that rotates side to side.Body Design:1. Standard straight body.2. Angled neck for a better reach.3. Head and most of body is compactable into base. 4. Toothpaste dispenser in base of toothbrush.5. Base has a sterilizing liquid to store brush head and keep it clean.Power Source:1. Alkaline Batteries x22. Solar powered rechargeable batteries3. Mechanical Manual Crank 4. Direct plug in to 110v power source5. Rechargeable Lithium battery- Plug in to 110v power source to recharge internal battery

Black Box ModelConcept Generation

Energy

Cleaning

On/Off

Rotational Head

Motor Rotational Transitional

Switch Closes Circuit

Sends Signal

Brush Head

Bristles

Concept Combination TableConcept Generation

Concept Classification Tree

Body Design

Nuclear

3 rotational bristle clusters

2 rotational clusters with stationary border

Head

Toothbrush

120° rotational head with stationary bottom

Vertical bristle oscillation

Horizontal bristle oscillation

Bent Neck

Toothpaste Dispenser Body

Straight Neck

Telescoping Body

Cleaning Solution in Body

Solar technology (similar to calculator)

Plugged into wall

2x AAA batteries

Crank

Rechargeable battery

Concept Generation

Criteria of CompanyConcept Selection

Great handle designs make brushing fun!

Promotes healthy brushing; removes plaque; massages gums

Smaller brush head for smaller mouths

Less than $7 U.S. suggested retail price** – only a few dollars more than an ordinary manual toothbrush!

Ergonomically designed for a comfortable grip

Includes 2 AAA batteries

Children under 3 use under adult supervision

The company website claims the following about tehir product:

Selecting the Best DesignConcept Selection

A B C D E

120° ocsillation Triple Spin Head Vertical Oscillation Double Oscillation Head Horizontal Oscillation

Ease of Production + - 0 - 0

Ease of Use 0 0 0 0 0

Durability 0 - + - +

Portability 0 0 0 0 0

Cost of Production + - + - 0

SUM +'S 2 0 2 0 1

SUM 0'S 3 2 3 2 4

SUM -'S 0 3 0 3 0

NET SCORE 2 -3 2 -3 1

RANK 1 4 1 4 3

CONTINUE? yes no yes no no

Head Design

Selecting the Best DesignConcept Selection

Body Design

A B C D EStraight Bent Neck Collapsible Toothpaste Dispenser Cleaning Solution

Ease of Production + + 0 - -

Ease of Use 0 + + + -

Durability + + - - -

Portability 0 0 + + -

Cost of Production + + 0 + -

SUM +'S 3 4 2 3 0

SUM 0'S 2 1 2 0 0

SUM -'S 0 0 1 2 5

NET SCORE 3 4 1 1 -5

RANK 2 1 3 3 5

CONTINUE? yes yes no no no

Selecting the Best DesignConcept Selection

Power Source

A B C D EBatteries Solar Power Crank Wall Plug In Rechargeable Battery

Ease of Production + - - 0 +

Ease of Use + 0 - - +

Durability 0 - 0 0 +

Portability + 0 0 - +

Cost of Production 0 - 0 0 -

SUM +'S 3 0 0 0 4

SUM 0'S 2 2 3 3 0

SUM -'S 0 3 -2 2 1

NET SCORE 3 -3 -2 -2 3

RANK 1 5 3 3 1

CONTINUE? yes no no no yes

Our Redesign

120◦ Rotational head and Stationary bristles provide

maximum surface coverage

Easy to use one touch switch

Angled head to cleanhard to reach areas

Comfortable and easy to grip body

Sleek new design

Rechargeable Battery lasts up to 4hrs of use

on one full charge

Embodiment of the Design

- Our design satisfies the customers needs for an affordable, practical, and aesthetically pleasing electric toothbrush for all ages.

-Our toothbrush is run off of rechargeable batteries that transfer energy to the motor which turns a gear, causing an axle in the neck to turn which cause a gear in the head to rotate spinning the bristles. This motion is all started when the power button is pressed in.

-Our design improves upon the previous models because it features a bent neck and a rechargeable battery.

Feasibility Analysis

- Our product could be manufactured out of mold in a factory style setting much like that of the “Spin Brush My Way”.

- It is make primarily out of plastic moldings, with metal component inside. These parts consist of the motor mechanisms and circuitry components.

- All parts are relatively standard and can be make using molds. No pieces are unique or uncommon in the toothbrush industry.

Conclusion

After receiving our Colgate Spin Brush, we found many flaws in the design that could’ve been redesigned. Although some designs are optimal since they are very cost efficient. For example, the brush head is an efficient design, since redesigning the head to clean teeth better would not only of raised the price dramatically, but also would’ve made it harder for production to occur. So, we decided to keep the brush head design in our newly designed toothbrush. But, we saw some things that needed to be changed, most important was the energy source. The price of the product would still increase to make this change but we found it to be very cost efficient in making the switch. Instead of the AAA batteries we included a rechargeable battery pack, that can easily be plugged in to the toothbrush and after being fully charged would last for 4 hours of use. We found that consumers hated when their toothbrushes lost power, because of poorly charged batteries. We also bent the head to 60 degrees since we found that most cavities were a result of toothbrushes not cleaning areas that are hard to reach.

References

• www.google.com/patents• www.walmart.com• www.spinbrush.com