[ENG] KitchenAid® Attachment Organizer

Issue:

    As avid bakers, my partner and I upgraded to a KitchenAid® Stand Mixer, which comes with multiple useful attachments - a Whisk, a Dough Hook, a Beater, and a Silicone lined Beater. Unfortunately, the multiple attachments require storage as only one can be mounted at a time, so the rest usually lay loose in a bowl somewhere.

Requirement(s):

• Convenient, accessible
• Organized
• Out of the way

Process:

    As I wanted to keep our kitchen counter clear, I opted for a hanging approach under our cabinets. With the KitchenAid attachments designed to hang already, I decided to imitate their stem design. The stem of the Stand Mixer was measured using a set of digital calipers. To check the type of fit, I measured the corresponding holes in the attachments. Due to the dimensional considerations when it comes to 3D Printing, I sliced the stems parallel to the axis to minimize the overhanging material. Additionally, this solution reduced the contact between the 3D printed stems and attachments and gave me a natural flat area which would prevent the stems from rotating while mounting the attachments.

Initially, the design would mounted parallel to the mixer, so the dimensions were limited to the size of our cabinets. Knowing my maximum distance, I laid out the design on paper to avoid interference between the different attachments when mounting and once mounted, including which direction everything would be "facing".

    I modeled the stems, boards, and stand-in attachments using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2020. As printing the board would be inefficient and expensive use of the 3D printer, I split the mounting board into two stacked sections that could be Laser Cut and engraved. The height of the stem bases were matched to the stacked thickness of the boards to give us a flat surface on which to mount against our cabinets. The models were assembled for fit and interference checks before exporting to appropriate formats for printing.

    I signed up and took the required Laser Cutter safety course at OpenWorks Baltimore, and cut the boards out of plywood by the end of the class. I set up and printed the stems (and Drain Standoff) on another visit.

    Once I had all the materials on hand, I checked the fit between all the parts, sanding/shaving as necessary. After making sure my wood screws wouldn't poke through the bottom, I installed the organizer with no issues so far.

Possible Improvements:

    There were some dimensional issues with some tightness at the stems that required some sanding/shaving, so the models will be modified to account for the tolerances. Originally it was designed to be attached parallel to the mixer, but the perpendicular direction was determined to be better as it would give us the freedom to move the mixer sideways. With this restriction being lifted, the boards could be expanded to include more stems.

    Autodesk's DXF utility has trouble exporting text, which affected the label for this and another project. I will need to find the correct setting or workaround.

[ENG] Drain Mushroom Standoff

The Issue:

    We bought a commercial Drain Mushroom plug to catch too much of our hair from going down the drain. We found that the mushroom top would drop on numerous inconvenient occasions:

• When too much hair was caught in the filter.
• When the water level would be too high, even while draining.
• When the person showering would step on the top.

The Requirements:

The solution should:

• Keep the mushroom at drain height when installed
• Should be easily removable, if needed
• Be comfortable to remove

The Process:

    I measured the mushroom's stem diameter and height; and the mushrooms head's diameter and seat. The stem diameter and height gave me dimensions for gap in the "C" shape, which would let us slot in the standoff easily. The head diameter and seat will ensure the device isn't too large and give me the envelope of my design. Rounded finger grooves would give the user a natural place to pull the standoff from.

    With all these in place, I modeled it in Autodesk Inventor Professional 2020 (a screenshot shown above). I am fortunate to have a dedicated Maker Space with 3D Printing capabilities available here in Baltimore, called Open Works. After taking a recommended 3D Printing class, I printed the Standoff in PLA (PolyLactic Acid) below with no issues.

    

    It is currently installed and has been working well.

Possible Improvements:

    Although PLA is somewhat water-resistant, it can degrade with constant contact to water. While it won't be submerged in water (as long as the filter is cleared consistently) while in regular operation, the Standoff may degrade in the long term. If I were to print it again, I may opt for ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) as it is more water-resistant and would suggest it for future prints.

Thank you for reading.