Hanger

Intention

Write about the big ideas behind your project? What are the goals? Why did you make it? What are your motivations?

One of the biggest difficulties of being a college student is figuring out how to best utilize a small dorm space. This year, I was placed in an especially small double, and am constantly overwhelmed with clutter. One of the biggest sources of clutter is my pile of hangers. I have a small IKEA rack where I keep my big winter jackets, and only so many can fit at a time. Therefore, all my unused hangers have to sit on the side. However, I think this is a huge waste of space, so I set out to design a collapsible hanger. 

Research & Context

Describe what informed your ideas and your outcome? How does your outcome relate to other work in the field? What are the precedent projects?

A lot of existing solutions for hangers in small spaces include very complex ones such as the one in the photo above that allow users to hang multiple things from one. However, this is not exactly the issue I wanted to solve, so I wanted to simplify the mechanism to focus on the collapsable-ness of the hanger. 

Aesthetic Inspiration

What influenced your design? Is there a specific style, art movement, or natural phenomena? Include at least one example.

I really like the simplistic aesthetic of this hanger. 

I think that the visual of the hanger should parallel the simplicity of its function, in addition to its original purpose to simplify and declutter spare hangers.

Sketch Your Project Below

Include dimensions, point of actuation, materials, colours, etc.

Process & Procedure

To do this, I will need to render two pieces (the left and right portions of the hanger) that overlap at the handle (hook). I want it to “snap” into place, so it is important that I make the handle overlap seamlessly. I will need to include a mechanism that allows one side of the hanger to have an extruding notch that can fit into a hole in the other. I have chosen to 3D print this because of the extrusion, which is something a laser cutter cannot provide. The focus of this project is “something that moves,” so although it will not be to size, 3d-printing is the best way to prototype the moving mechanism in this case. 

[two renderings]

[five semi-pro photos]

Reflection

Reflect on the process of making this project. What did you learn? What would you do differently?

I like that our prompts ask us to consider real-world problems when designing things. It is very fulfilling to be able to use skills that we learn in class/by exploring fusion 360 through our exercises to design things that we can use in our real lives. This particular project made me think about which maker (3d printer or laser cutter) would be more suitable. Although I think the laser cutter would’ve helped me make a prototype more true to size, I am glad I was able to work with the 3D printer to create a working knob rotation mechanism.