Tortilla Assist Device

thingiverse

Background: Ever since I watched this video about how to make a sandwich in space, it has really bothered me that it seems like such a struggle to perform such a simple task on Earth. There must be a better way, or at least something that will help make the task less cumbersome. So, I sat down and designed the Tortilla Assist Device (TAD). Premise: Create a device that will hold open a tortilla in micro-gravity so an astronaut can apply fillings, close the tortilla, and easily remove it. Considerations: The International Space Station receives tortillas in a package already folded in half. Today, it costs $10,000 per pound to send an object into Low Earth Orbit. Space is at a premium on the ISS. The device must be reusable and easily cleaned with just a sanitary wipe. Print Settings Printer: Wanhao Duplicator 6 Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .15mm Infill: 20% Assembly instructions are in document Tortilla Assist Device Design and Instructions.pdf **Update for those of us who aren't traveling to space - Terrestrial Version** If you want the device to stand up on its own here on Earth, I created a version of the Hinge Pins with feet - Hinge Pin Female Terrestrial and Hinge Pin Male Terrestrial. You can probably forgo the Tortilla Holders as well; gravity should hold the tortillas flat against the Side Panels. How I Designed This Design: A properly sized half-hinged device with retaining hooks allows for the tortilla to be secured to the flat faces of the device, but still easily removed. The design was created to maximize ease of cleanup and finishing and to allow scalability. The Tortilla Holders could have been incorporated into the side panel design, but they are small and require delicate removal of printed supports. The hinges could have been printed as two solid pieces. A modular hinge design allows you to scale the side panels for different sizes of tortillas without having to scale the hinge as well. Simply add more hinge pieces to the design as needed and lengthen the hinge pins. The hinge pin could have been printed as a long single hinge with a fixed cap on one end and a removable cap on the other. A friction design was used for simplicity's sake. One hinge section has .5mm bumps on its inner surface, while the female hinge pin has a single .5mm bump. The TAD can open over 300 degrees, but will hold the angle set by the user. Many other ideas were considered - spring-loaded pins with notches, push-pull locking designs, latches, etc. But in the end, friction worked best and made the design simple, easier to operate, and completely metal-free. This model is designed to fit an 8-inch tortilla. The model can be scaled up or down to accommodate different sizes. There are no feet or flat surfaces to support the TAD sitting up since it was designed to be used in micro-gravity.