Temperature control in electric kettle
Obtaining a genuine product using a thermosensitive label completely manufactured and tailored according to requirements of the customer. Getting a useful and innovative product at the same time.
Purpose: a leading appliance manufacturer was looking for a new edge to your kettle ahead of its commercial launch in South America. Their idea was that the kettle somehow shows the temperature of the water contained inside. It was intended - with a minimal increase in cost of the product - improve the previous model offering a new utility, an innovate feature versus competition. The purpose obviously, surprise and attract future buyers.
Sensor used: custom reversible self-adhesive thermometer tailored "3-LEVEL-POT".
Work done: The client was looking for a thermometer strip for a boiler designed to fit the consumption, as economical as possible but highly accurate.
A liquid crystal indicator was designed onto self-adhesive paper, so that it could be stuck onto the curve housing of the kettle. The main purpose was that this sensor was easily visible and understandable, so 3 simple and clear symbols related to 3 distinct temperature ranges (cold, heat and "ideal temperature") were printed on. The following ranges of temperature and related symbology were finally taken:
- Range 1: snowflake / LOW TEMPERATURE: 25-44ºC
- Range 2 or ideal: matte / IDEAL TEMPERATURE: 45-55
- Range 3: sun / HIGH TEMPERATURE: 56-76ºC
The liquid crystal shows the actual temperature in green color onto black backgroung, so that, when one event is coloured green, we know the temperature of the water inside.
We must wait for the central event "highlighted in green" to serve the water to make our “mate” or tea at the ideal temperature.
This strip was first implemented in 2006 for boilers used in the consumption of mate, but its use has been extended to prepare tea and other herbal infusions. It has been used in the manufacture of hundreds of thousands of electric kettles in Argentina, Hong Kong and Poland.