A brief history of the kettle, covering the design changes fromthe early 1930’s through to the late 90’s
.... • PRESTIGE 54700 cordless jug kettle • Made from Brushed stainless steel with 3kW fast boil element • 1.8-litre capacity • 360° swivel base (optec disk) • Soft touch handle • Plastic locking lid • Easy-to-read water level indicator • On/Off light • Safety boil-dry cut-out and overheat protector The kettle in fig.2, as well as many of today’s kettles, has changed because of need, style and advances in technology. It can boil water faster and as efficiently as possible to keep the cost of it down. The need to boil water faster and cheaper has come about, due to the developments of technology. The features of the Prestige 54700 cordless jug kettle • It has a 360° rotational base (optec disk), which allows the kettle to face the way you want it to and it means that you don’t have to plug a chord into the back of it. This cuts down the risk of any electric shocks, making it safer. • Concealed element (3kW fast boil element), is another advance in technology, letting you use less water and giving you the potential to save on running costs by using less electricity. • The brushed stainless steel also makes it easier to clean. • Safety boil-dry cut-out and overheat protector is another safety feature so if you forgotten about it then it wont cause an accident instead it will automatically turn itself off. • Plastic locking lid which is easy to open also for the elderly. It has been made from plastic because plastic doesn’t conduct heat, so it will stay reasonably cool and you wont burn your hands. It has kept its old traditional metal style with black handle, like many older kettles tended to look like but looks a lot more streamlined and space aged. Very smooth and shiny look about it, with a soft touch black handle for comfort and grip and its made from stainless steel which makes its very easy to clean. Its very smooth and modern look would fit in well with the modern, streamlined kitchens of today such as those from Ikea. It looks very new but it is still recognised as a kettle and resembles the old style of kettle with its metal body and black handle. Kettles on the market in general It has similar features to other kettles on the market, which seem to have taken on the same design but this is made from steel, where as the others seem to be made from plastic which is a fairly new material. Plastic is large advance in technology of recent times. Plastics can be made hard as stone, strong as steel, transparent as glass, light as wood, and elastic as rubber. Plastics are also lightweight, waterproof, chemical resistant, and produced in almost any color. Mass Production These kettles are made in great numbers and they are produced rapidly because of high demand for new technology. The plastic kettles will be injection moulded, just as the handles on the model above would have been. With the high demand of kettles they are designed so that they can be produced quickly and easily. This is why plastic has been introduced into the design of mass produced kettles, simply because plastic can be produced quickly and efficiently. Plastic allows for accurate production and enables to create a safer kettle with many safety features included in its design. With this kettle there are many safety features such as a lockable lid and optec disk. Without these safety features the kettle wouldn’t pass safety standards and then it wouldn’t be allowed out onto the market to be sold. Ergonomics Kettle handles are made to feel good in your hand. Ergonomics is used to integrate the shape of a human hand into the shape of the handle, also the feel of the handle is important for comfort. Materials that are easy to mould to unusual shapes, sizes, that feel soft to touch and that don’t conduct heat are now on the market and are a large advance in technology. Evaluation I have learnt that a products development, advances due to many different aspects. The need for safety has developed the design of the kettle in many different ways; it has added new features to the basic idea of boiling cold water. Developments have been made to ...