Snack Tray Design and Make Assignment

The  drawing shows a basic design for a plastic snack tray that will be used by an airline  on flights of between 2-3 hours duration. 

The tray will hold a snack consisting of 3 parts:

• The main meal (a sandwich or small cold meal or small hot meal),
• a cupcake
• a cup of orange juice. 

The drawing shows a tray with two compartments but it should have three.

Design Brief

Design and make a prototype plastic snack tray that will hold a snack consisting of a main meal, a cupcake and an orange drink.

Specification

The tray must be made from a sustainable plastic material that can be washed and re-used.  It must be as light as possible, yet be rigid enough to hold the snack without bending or twisting. One compartment must be the correct size for a standard cupcake foil or paper case.  One compartment must be the correct size for a standard sized plastic cup.  

Industrial Production Requirements

You should describe at least two plastic forming processes that could be used to manufacture the snack tray in large numbers.  

Presentation Requirements

• You should show at least 5 tray designs using notes and sketches to illustrate your ideas. 
• You should make a coloured presentation drawing of your preferred design, using isometric or two point perspective drawing techniques. 
• You should also make a dimensioned orthographic drawing of the tray, the foil or paper case and your chosen type of plastic cup.

Planning for Making

You should describe the stages in manufacturing the snack tray.  

Additional information

• You must state whether the plastic cup will be a disposable component or a re-usable component
• you should state what the main meal should consist of
• you should describe the main ingredients of three different flavoured cupcakes
• you should describe the advantages and disadvantages of using plastics made from renewable materials
• you should describe the advantages and disadvantages of using plastics that are made from fossil fuels. 

Prototype

A prototype is a finished, working product that is still at the testing and evaluation stage.  It is the first one of a series that is likely to be reproduced in large numbers. 

Sustainable Plastics

Sustainable plastics are made from renewable sources such as wheat, corn, potatoes, grass and palm fibre.  They are biodegradable so discarded products do not have a long term effect on the environment.  Sustainable plastics can be composted as they are biodegradable.  

On the other hand, plastics made from fossil fuels are non biodegradable.  Oil, the raw material from which most plastics are made, is nonrenewable.  Discarded or dumped waste plastics have a catastrophic and long term effect on the environment, on land and in the sea.