BETTER DISPENSER

Group 3:

Part I: Problem Definition

With over 100 different lotion manufacturers in the United States, and the average American purchasing anywhere from 6-12 bottles of lotion a year, it is no surprise that over 1 million bottles of lotion are sold on a yearly basis. This news is wonderful for lotion manufacturers because it clearly illustrates the demand that exists for their product. Many Americans are either blind to, or have become complaisant with, the fact that current lotion packaging technology eliminates the possibility of using ALL the lotion contained. The current bottle designs could be a deliberate attempt on the part of the lotion manufacturers to force individuals to prematurely dispose of non-empty bottles of lotion. This would require more frequent lotion purchases. Whether or not the bottles are the result of unethical business practices or a faulty design concept, the inability to easily access all bottle contents is an issue.

The popular pump-bottle design that is currently being employed facilitates lotion extraction. Unfortunately, this technology also makes it inherently impossible to obtain lotion that is out of reach of the opening of the pump tube. Residual lotion can be found either stuck to the side of the bottle or stuck to the pump tube. The thicker and more viscous the lotion, the worse this problem becomes. As a result of this inevitability, many individuals are forced to remove the pump tube and look for additional ways to obtain the constituents of the bottle. Some alternative methods for accessing residual lotion include, tapping the bottom of the bottle erratically, or inserting fingers into the miniature opening at the top of the bottle. Both makeshift attempts can result in unwanted injury to ones fingers and palms. Depending on the value of the lotion itself, some have even considered cutting the bottle open in order to gain free access to its inner walls. Accessing a product that has already been paid for should not be this difficult. The goal of this project is to come up with a new design concept for a lotion bottle that provides for easy access to ALL lotion contained within.

As stated before, the types of lotion containers that are currently available include cup-style containers, tube containers, squeeze containers and pump-bottle containers. These containers come in disposable or non-disposable types. Cup-style containers allow for maximum lotion extraction because of its wide opening and shallow depth. Tube containers also allow for maximum lotion extraction because the contents are able to be squeezed out in the same manner as toothpaste. Squeeze bottles, on the other hand, have the same limitations as pump bottles because the lotion contained is extracted via a squeezing mechanism. The major difference between a squeeze bottle and a tube container is the pliability of the container used. A tube container is made from a material with minimal stiffness that easily deforms under pressure. A squeeze bottle is made of a material with high stiffness that does not deform greatly under pressure. As a result of this, no matter how hard you squeeze a squeeze bottle, you will not be able to extract material that is stuck to the side and bottom walls. Although tube and cup containers are available, surveys administered to the general public show that a majority of people prefer the design and ease of pump bottles and thus purchase lotions that are housed in these types of containers.

The aim of the current design project is to improve on the already existing pump bottle technology that is widely used by a majority of individuals. A mechanism to ensure the extraction of residual lotion while maintaining the general appeal of a pump bottle is where this project is currently headed. The pumping mechanism that results in the extraction of lotion will not be done away with or altered in any way. No new polymers or materials will be introduced into the design concept. The material and manufacturing constraints that are already in place for the manufacture of pump bottles will be adhered to.

Identification of Customer Requirements and Needs

The device specified is required to remove most of the remaining residue of lotion from the sides of a container. Most lotions are very viscous and behave like Bingham fluids that require an initial force to move. This property usually accounts for the difficulty experienced while attempting to acquire the last portions of lotion.

Based on the data collected from administered surveys, there is an evident need for a dispensing device with certain design specifications. The device must not leak any of the contents and must be refillable. It should also be durable, easy to clean and hold an adequate volume. In order to appeal to customers the device must also be aesthetically pleasing, cost efficient and lightweight. The device should be effective in achieving its primary function which is to dispense lotion easily and entirely.

There are many current products on the market that contain and dispense lotion. Usually there is a central hose that pulls in the lotion through a central nozzle which subsequently dispenses it. This method is not totally efficient, hence illustrating the need for this project. On the other hand, standard lotion bottles do provide a baseline for performance.

Engineering Characteristics

The evaluation of survey results identified a list of consumer needs and requirements. This list was then put into the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for the proposed product and a house of quality was generated. With this house of quality engineering characteristics are correlated to the identified consumer requirements and the relevant importance of each is then determined.

The QFD presented in this report, displays several indicators of importance: the absolute importance, relative importance, and the relative weight index. The QFD relative weight index identifies operation, storage, and durability as the most important consumer requirements for a product. The engineering characteristics associated with these are identified by the relative and absolute importance indexes. These characteristics are determined to be the ease of dispensability, percentage of dispensability, container toughness, UV stability, corrosion resistance, and container inertness. With the use of this QFD, proper product specifications can be matched to the most important consumer needs and requirements. Therefore, providing for the engineering characteristics with the highest absolute and relevant importance ensures that consumer needs and requirements will be satisfied with the new design.

Quality Function Deployment for New Dispenser Design

5=Strong 3=Moderate 1=Weak	Toughness of container	Ease of servicing	Dispenses 85-95% of contents	Transportable	UV stable	Inert	Corrosion resistant	Available in different colors	Size & Shape	Cost of Manufacturing	Customer Importance	Dispensers on market	Proposed product	Improvement ratio	Sales Points	Importance ratio	Relative weight
Operation
Easy to dispense contents			5								5	3	5	1.7	1.0	8.5	0.07
Dispenses most of content			5								5	2	5	2.5	1.5	18.8	0.16
Bathroom
Coordinates with bathroom décor								5	4		3	2	4	2.0	1.5	12.0	0.1
Fits in bathroom space									5		4	3	3	1.0	1.0	3.0	0.03
Storage
Easy to be refilled		4									3	2	5	2.5	1.5	18.8	0.16
Easy to clean		5									3	2	5	2.5	1.5	18.8	0.16
Holds adequate volume									5		4	4	4	1.0	1.0	4.0	0.03
Functionality
Easy to use		5									5	5	5	1.0	1.0	5.0	0.04
Light weight				5					5		4	3	3	1.0	1.0	3.0	0.03
Durability
Will not break	5				5	5