Team Members & Role:

• Chiara Kinnon – Team Lead and Evaluation Lead
• Alex Lipson – Analysis Lead
• Ansel Marcovici – Design Lead
• Aerie Aviksis – Fabrication Lead

Abstract:
The objective of this senior design project is to engineer a new and improved prototype for the EZ-Icer, a device designed to apply icing to cylindrical cakes of varying sizes with a professional appearance. The original prototype was created to assist our sponsor, who has a visual impairment, in continuing her cake business. The current prototype features a variable speed turntable, icing spreaders, and a knife for cutting cakes into tiers. However, the current prototype has some limitations, such as low tolerances leading to deformation in various parts of the system, non-adjustable icing spreaders, and difficulty centering the base turntable when mounted. To address these limitations, the next prototype will incorporate several additional features. These include a universal knife mount that allows for the use of different types of knives or other tools. The new prototype will also include mounts to allow for off-the-shelf icing spreaders that can be easily adjusted to different angles and swapped out for different edges to create a variety of surface patterns. Furthermore, the entire mechanism will be mounted on a linear guide rail to allow for easy movement away from the cake after the icing process is completed. By creating an improved EZ-Icer, we aim to not only make cake decorating easier but also make the culinary industry more accessible. This project has the potential to help those with visual impairments or disabilities to continue pursuing their passions in the culinary arts.