Final Project: Folding Mechanism Research

After looking at initial ideas, it was time to look further into mechanisms, components, materials and aesthetics in order to start developing my product.

In this blog I will describe the different folding mechanisms that I consider can be incorporated in my own design and satisfy my requirements

I consider the folding mechanism as one of the most important parts of my design, as it is key to ensuring maximum functionality and durability for my product. 

Gagosian Exhibition (2008)- Marc Newson  

I had looked at this table in the past and was really inspired by it.

This design by Marc Newson inspired me to look at a folding functionality that is created by bending a single plank. This made me think that by implementing this technique my design would not contain any components since it would consist of the bending of one continuous plank. However, this will not work out as the material used will be wood. Bending wood will not allow the flexibility of folding and unfolding the product. I would have to use components, mechanisms and various planks to make this work as I intended it to. I discarded this immediately. 

Hand- fans.

The next folding mechanism that inspired me was hand fans. Looking closely at the way each surface folds was very fascinating and inspiring. The way I can implement and corporate the technique used in the production of fans is shown in my sketch. There will be a drawer at the bottom of the box which customers will be able to pull forward to reveal the desk and push back to hide it. Brass braces can be used to hold everything together. Nuts and bolts can be used to assemble this onto the wall and make it strong and stable. 

Comments: I really like this mechanism as it is both innovative and creative. However, looking at aesthetics, I feel like the overall image is not the best choice. In addition, the purpose of using a plank to cover the front of the box is to avoid any dust from getting onto the shelves. In this design, the shelves are exposed which will cause dust to settle on them.  

fold-up fold-down desk

This mechanism was inspired by a desk I saw in a YouTube video. From the front, the desk will be folded-out of the wall providing enough space for the user to work on.  Even though this desk looks the simplest compared to all the other initial ideas, it still manages to have the most compartments, therefore satisfying the need for enough storage space. The desk will have will have two ‘cupboard-like’ compartments with two shelves on the two sides, allowing a lot of storage space.  In the front  piece of wood will be able to be lowered by a folding table leg brace mechanism, allowing it to open at a 90 degree angle to form the desk. Out of all the mechanisms reviewed, I feel that this one is the most functional and easy to use by a student. The use of pneumatic braces means that my customers will not have to apply a lot of pressure to fold and unfold it.

Comments:  This mechanism is the most effective for my design. It covers the storage shelves and prevents dust from getting inside. It is easy to use, effective and efficient. I believe that a simple design will be ideal for the particular product and will appeal to my target market.

SWING tisch

This folding mechanism was inspired by 'SWING tisch' that was designed in Germany. When the top shelf is brought down, the other shelves move and join together to form a desk. These are connected by a sliding hinge mechanism. The front view of the sketch shows the shelves inside the cupboard and the next sketches show how the shelves transform into the table once you pull them down. 

In this design, the shelves would slide and convert into a table, providing a working space for students to study. The mechanism used for the desk to swing up and down would be a lift up hinge with a stand rack bracket made out of heavy duty steel in order to allow the desk to carry up to 50kg of weight. Since the hinge will be applied to each shelf, it will give each shelf the capability to hold up to 50kg, which I believe is more than adequate for its intended use. The shelves will stay upright when not used as a desk by using small clips at the hinges, preventing them from sliding.

The material used is pine wood, which is inexpensive and strong. Duty steel hinges are used to provide maximum strength as a lot of weight and pressure might be applied on the desk.

 Comments: I find this design very interesting and unique. However, I do not think that this design is practical. When the mechanism is upwards forming shelves users will be able to store several items. However, when needing to transform the shelves into the desk users will have to remove all stored items in order to fold it downwards. This defeats the purpose of providing storage while also being able to study simultaneously. Additionally, each shelf would have to be wide enough in order to form a large enough table. This will cause the shelves to extrude too much from the wall, thus taking up a lot of space and defeating the purpose of 'conservation of space'.

Concluding, the mechanism that I have decided to use is the third one. I was in between the third and fourth one but there are major differences that have made me favour the third design. The fourth design will be very impractical as users will have to remove all the items from the shelves before transforming it into a table. The third mechanism covers the shelves with a plank which will avoid any dust from getting into the shelves. It is overall more easy to assemble and use which will be a lot more helpful to the user.

In the next blog post, I will look into components and materials that could be used as I now know which folding mechanism to use.