Group 32 - Kodak Funsaver Camera

Revision as of 00:01, 8 December 2006

Executive Summary

Our group was asked to analyze the Kodak Fun Saver single-use camera. The main objectives of this project were to analyze the components of the camera, determine their functions, and suggest improvements that can be made to the camera. Before anything else, we made some assumptions about the camera, including an estimation of the number of parts inside the camera, how the camera works, and if the camera worked at all. Then we disassembled the camera piece by piece documenting our observations and took pictures of each part in order to keep track of all of them. The approximate time for the disassembly process was about 1 hour, and was surprisingly easy because of the camera’s simple design. The disassembly process helped us to understand what was inside of the camera, and allowed us to begin to understand each components function. Also, we assumed what the manufacturing process involved in making each part was, based on any clues that we could find on the part. Most of the parts were made of plastic and manufactured by injection molding. Besides plastic, the other materials involved in the camera were metal and silicone. The use of plastic and the minimum number of parts in the camera is what makes it inexpensive, recyclable, and lightweight, which makes the camera cheap for the consumer. The reassembly process was easy given that we had all the pictures from the disassembly process. The reassembly process took us less then 1 hour. After becoming very familiar with the camera, we were able to come up with several possible improvements for the camera. This was difficult, however, because Kodak has been manufacturing single-use cameras for over 20 years, and they have managed to cut down costs in a lot of ways, which is very apparent with their current design.

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Introduction

The Kodak Fun Saver single-use camera is an inexpensive means for the consumer to take pictures and is realtivly easy for the consumer to operate. It is considered easy to use because as soon as the customer has the camera in their hands, it is ready to take pictures and when they have finished the roll of film inside the camera, they simply take the entire camera to be developed and never have to deal with the film itself. The model that we evaluated for our project has built in flash capability, and can take up to 27 pictures. This model is still on the market today, and can be found in stores for an average price of only $6.50. Another large benefit of single-use cameras is their recyclability. According to Kodak's website, up to 77% of every single-use camera gets re-used. We have concluded that it is not 100% because of the film and battery in the camera, which are not re-useable after a standard useage.

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Research Members Brief Intro:

• Howell, Kevin
• Chen, Yi-Chih
• Foote, Christopher
• Mahajan, Priyanka
• Tang, Tak

Unfortunatly, Chen, Yi-Chih was involved in an accident around Thanksgiving time and was forced to leave his classes, but before then he was a big help in our project.

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Before Disassembly

Photo Direction	Image
Front
Back
Top
Bottom

As mentioned before, the primary function of the Kodak Fun Saver single-use camera is to take pictures at an affordable price. Before disassembling the camera, it worked without any problems. Based on the feel of the camera while operating, it was assumed that it is mostly a mechanical process inside of the camera, with the only exception being the electrical aspect that must be required to operate the flash. All that was needed to operate the camera was to wind the film manually and then press the button to take a picture. The film has to be wound manually to advance to the next picture because it is a way to reduce the number of accidental pictures taken, so that someone would not end up with a picture of the inside of their pocket. To activate the built in flash, the customer must hold down a button on the front of the camera for a few seconds until an indicator light lets them know that the flash is ready.

Before disassembly, we assumed there to be roughly 35 parts made of 5 distinct types of material.

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Disassembly Process

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Parts Analysis

Kodak Funsaver Disposable Camera Bill of Materials

Part #	Part Name	# Required	Material	Manufacturing Process	Estimated Cost	Image Before	Image After	Solo
1	Back cover	1	Plastic	Injection molding
2	Spool for unexposed film	1	Plastic	Injection molding
3	Film cartridge	1	Caseing is Plastic
4	Battery	1	Caseing is metal
5	Front cover	1	Plastic	Injection molding
6	Small copper resistance spring	1	Copper
7	Flash circuit	1	Silicone, solder		$1.80			Front Back
8	View finder	1	Plastic	Injection molding		Front Top
9	Lens fastener	1	Plastic	Injection molding
10	Lens	1	Plastic
11	Button	1	Plastic	Injection molding
12	Unexposed picture counter	1	Plastic	Injection molding
13	Film advancer	1	Plastic	Injection molding
14	Film advancer locking mechanism	1	Plastic	Injection molding
15	Revolving shaft	1	Plastic	Injection molding
16	Film advancer gear	1	Plastic	Injection molding
17	Locking mechanism release lever	1	Plastic	Injection molding		Front Top
18	Resistance spring	1	Metal					File Lost
19	Lens base	1	Plastic	Injection molding
20	Metal spacer	1	Metal
21	Recoil shaft	1	Metal				Not Applicable	Not Applicable
22	Internal frame	1	Plastic	Injection molding		Front Back Top Bottom	Not Applicable	Not Applicable

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Assembly Process

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What Can Be Improved On Our Model

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Other Models of Kodak Disposal

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Files

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Animation

3D Animation

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External Link

Competitors Model

• Fuji[12]

• Konica[13]

• Canon[14]

• Nikon[15]

Research group Of The Project - University At Buffalo

• School Homepage[16]
• Department of Mechnical and Aerospace Engineering[17]

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