Redesign of Powerfoot Pedestal
Koolboks’ mission is to make cooling affordable, accessible, and sustainable for everyone who needs it. This has led to the development of the unique features of the Koolbok refrigerator.
The Powerfoot is one of the essential components of Koolboks’ refrigerator that supports its weight; it houses the battery, elevates the refrigerator from ground level, and provides robust wheels for portability. However, there is room for improvement to reduce Powerfoot’s cost of production, enhance its durability, and make it extendable to adapt to different refrigerator sizes.
Koolboks aimed to redesign its Powerfoot pedestal to increase its durability and reduce the costs of the structure. There was also a need to develop an extendable pedestal that could be used with the full range of sizes of Koolboks freezers. These improvements would be made by analyzing the existing design and proposing modifications with costs and durability in mind.
This project investigated the pedestal design and the range of sizes of the freezer designs. The existing solutions were identified, benchmarked, and modeled to identify opportunities for redesign. The fellow also explored design modifications to extend the pedestal while maintaining structural integrity, making considerations for cost reduction and enhanced durability. The final concept was iteratively refined by simulation and stakeholder feedback to achieve the desired specifications.
The final Powerfoot Pedestal design was presented in CAD form, including engineering drawings, computational models, and animations. A report detailing the design process was also completed.
