...
There are only two improvements that could be applied to this mechanism. One of them is to reduce the noise, the machine is relatively noisy, as can be heard from one of the videos in my analysis. This is because gears create noise when they contact each other. A noise cancelling material could be used on the inside of the gear casing to try to reduce the noise. The other improvement that could be made is to include three planet gears in the planetary gear set instead of one. This has the double advantage to create stability in the gear set because of the triple point of contact, as well as decreasing the axial forces on each of the gears. Apart from these minor modifications, the design is very well made, especially on the kinematic side, as seen in the analysis.
...
This mechanism is a great piece of engineering design, and I have learned a lot by taking it apart and analyzing it. Different aspects particularly impressed me; for instance the compactness of the design is remarkable, every component is essential and user satisfaction and ease of handling are definitely in the mind of Kitchen aid engineers. The gear train is extremely limited in size, but it still achieves a very low transmission ratio. Another important aspect is how easy and intuitive it is to disassemble and reassemble the mixer; this is great because it makes for good and efficient maintenance. The facet that impressed me the most was the quality of the design and the materials used, time and great care was put together in assembling this mechanism. For instance, the electric motor isn't one of those cheap motors you see everywhere, but it is designed by them; the gears are of high quality, and they are encased inside of a separated compartment. A heat sink is also attached to the motor, in order to prevent it from overheating. These little considerations, make for a reliable and highly regarded product.
All of this made for a great project and a worth-wile experience, even though it wasn't what is was initially planned for the class. From this project, and from the class, I learned the variety of problems that can be solved by well designed mechanism, such as the four bar seen above. I also learned important steps on how to design and carry out an engineering project such as this one.
...