Preview
The Problem
At home, the dishwasher can either have dirty dishes, clean dishes, or currently running.
There have been countless times that one of us in the house put dirty dishes when the dishwasher had clean ones, or someone accidentally opened the dishwasher in the middle of its current cycle.
How can we tell whether or not the dishwasher was clean, dirty, or still running?
Initial Solutions
For the first few weeks since we realized this was a recurring problem, my mom placed a sticky note that says the dishes were clean.
This worked for a while, but it did not show if the dishwasher was currently running or not.
Additionally, the sticky note eventually lost its stick and we resorted to reinforcing it with tape in order to keep our sign up.
Designing Phase
I liked the idea of having a sign for each status of the dishwasher: Clean, Dirty, or Running.
I also liked how even when the dishwasher was opened or closed, you can still tell the status since the sticky note was not attached to the door.
After multiple design iterations in my notebook, I settled on a magnetic mount to attach to the countertop, and magnetic signs to attach to the mount.
The magnetic signs can be placed on the fridge when not in use.
I opted for embedded magnets inside the print to conceal them.
I took measurements of the countertop and the magnets I had to design the mount.
I used SolidWorks to model each design based on vector art I found online.
3D Printing
Embedded Magnets
One challenge is that the magnets need to be added during the print.
I used the Cura slicer pause print extension to pause the print at a certain layer and embed the magnet, then resumed so the next layers covered it.
Printing Layers and External Forces
Another challenge was orienting the print so that the layer lines were perpendicular to the forces on the mount.
I printed the mount in two parts: the countertop mount and the magnet side.
Final Product
I am really happy with the final product. My sister painted each of the signs with acrylic paint.
The colors really pop, and it’s hard to miss the signs when you are about to open the dishwasher.
I can proudly say that I solved the problem.
