What do you guys think?

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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thomasortega

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I can't show much otherwise my boss will strangle me but... what do you guys think of a tiny portable dishwasher that is semi-automatic and made to be EXTREMELY affordable for people that live in RVs or small studios AND cannot afford a bigger dishwasher?

And yes, it will have this clear dome and the LED lights in the sump area.

I have in mind people that live on a VERY limited budget.

There's an option to turn off the heating element and fill it with cold water +food sanitizer (or a few drops of LCB) to sanitize vegetables or groceries like beer/soda cans before putting them away.

Please let me know opinions and possible ideas.

 
It's not bad....

...and in some ways, it looks better than the countertop Tragic Chef that we had, until we purchased a full-sized portable.

With that said, a couple of questions...

1: You mention that it is semi-automatic. How so? I take it that instead of connecting to the sink, there's a water tank? If that's the case, what makes this different from the other semi-automatic dishwashers on the market?

2: How big/tall is it?

3: How much can it hold? The problem that Mrs. V and I ran into with our countertop unit (besides the fact that it had a leak we could never find), is that it did not hold our dinner plates well. At all. And they were what we'd consider to be normal-sized plates. We'd have to tilt them at funky angles, just to get them to fit. Other things like pots and pans, plastic containers, etc, we'd have to wash by hand. There just wasn't enough "usable" space in it.

4: If it doesn't have some sort of a heated dry system, I'd add one. The countertop unit that Mrs. V and I had did NOT have one (I think it relied on the walls to do evaporative drying). It was a 50/50 shot on whether we'd have to manually dry the dishes or not.

With that being said, the spray action looks far stronger than what our CT unit had.

If it could run off generator power, we'd possibly consider one for our campsite.
 
I like it. I also like the idea of making it “multi-purpose” and using it for can or produce washing. There are so many household items that could be washed in a machine like that. Also, it would be great if you needed a fast cycle for washing beer glasses with no rinse aid.

Bob
 
I like it.

 

I'm guessing its just a pump motor and heater with a timed cycle? User has to fill and drain? Do you have pictures of the innards?

 

I really like the wash action and speed of the spray arm, solid concept!
 
I don’t know. There are a lot of fully automatic countertop dishwashers under $300.- on the market. Very easy to use, they don’t need to be hooked to a tap, you just fill them on the top. Easy for camping too. If you want to compete with those your semi automatic should sell for much less. Is that possible given the investment?
 
Yep, the only "automation" it has is a timer to shut it off, 30 minutes maximum.

You fill it manually, it has a pressure switch to prevent operation with no water. To drain you lower a drain hose. Pump is intentionally very strong, actually limited because the jets could lift the dome.

It has an internal heater, you can fill it with cold water if you want and it heats up to 70°C very quickly.

No tanks, you have to drain, lift the hose and refill it to rinse.

It is ridiculously simple to be BRUTALLY inexpensive. I mean WAY cheaper than those tiny dishwashers that you also fill with a pitcher.

By way cheaper, I'm trying to keep it below $50, with shipping already included. Those mini automatic dishwashers cost around $250~$300 and fit less dishes and smaller diameter plates only. This one fits even the stainless steel chargers I have that don't fit in my kenmore dishwasher without blocking the upper spray arm.

I'm having in mind people on social security checks and also people that want a dishwasher to use in campings, for example. If you turn the heater off (and heat the water using a camping stove, for example) you could even run it on a small power bank/jump starter or even using one of those inverters that plug in the cigarette lighter.

It cleans pretty decently, and there's absolutely not even the tiniest possibility of adding anything "fancy" in it. The whole concept is being as inexpensive as possible to be really accessible for extremely low income families and give them some convenience.

It will come with two tiny bottles with a dripper so the user can fill it with rinse aid and add it to the final rinse yhe other bottle is to fill with LCB and use a few drops to sanitize produce and groceries.

Other accessories are the rack, silverware basket, fruit box (for small fruits like cherries or strawberries), the water dosing pitcher and a dosing scoop for the detergent.

Using tablets is not recommended because that would be way too much detergent.

The top cover is polycarbonate, so user can see it washing and, eventually, shorten the cycle if noticed that dishes are already clean. (And because of the mesmerizing factor).

Although possible, I don't really think people will really use it to wash pots and pans. I can imagine people doing the dishes in it while doing the pots and pans manually or, eventually, washing one or two pots that are so greasy that nobody wants to touch.
 
I used to do everything but electric/electronics.

Electrical is designed by our electrical engineer. Even being super simple, it's mandatory that it's designed by an electrical engineer, if there's ANY electronic component, then the law requires an electronic engineer together.

I design everything related to mechanical components and the product operational and cosmetic designs. I'm slowly stepping down from designing, but for this dishwasher I did it myself.

A graphic designer now takes care of visual communication and documentation layout (control panel, user manual layout and images, etc). I never had patience for graphics. As I'm also graduated in literature, I also write the documentation and also do the translation. In Brazil it's mandatory that user manuals are registered as books, that's why our user manuals have a ISSN.

After everything is ready, I sit together with the production engineer to discuss possible changes to make production more efficient and start making the tooling, molds, etc. When everything is done and put together, I sign the projects it's my name that appears on the patent (registered first in Brazil because of my CREA, which is an engineering license) and then in the USA under the company name, because , obviously, the design belongs to the company, not me.

This dishwasher will be made in Brazil, production is set to start in October, after we receive the safety certification. As Brazil and USA have an agreement and INMETRO standards are more advanced and strict than UL, we certificate the product in Brazil and we are exempt from the UL certification.
 
Thank you for explaining the process! Sounds like you get to have all the fun! I love your designs. I have faith in you and I believe in you. I'm so glad you exist bringing practically designed appliances into existence.   
 
If it comes out under $50 count me in! I have a built in dishwasher but sometimes have a few extra items that won't fit in a load. I could throw them in this at the same time the built in unit is running, never have to hand wash another dish. Needs to have some type of filtration though so it's not just grinding food up and splattering it back on the dishes. Potentially add some weight to the spray arm to slow it down? Love the idea and price point! Please keep us updated on this!
 
Hi John!
Heater is 1100 Watts, pump is 150w, 3w for the LED lights.

It will be assembled in Brazil.

Dustin & Gansky

Yep, I'm doing my best to limit it to $50. I cut everything I could to keep this target. I don't do the pricing but I believe final price won't be that different from my expectation.

It's one of the last projects I do myself, so I have a personal reason to do something for low income customers, after decades designing high end appliances.
 

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