The domestic handheld hairdryer is an interesting artefact to model because it can be formed from a combination of blended surfaces and solids.
The standard hairdryer uses an axial fan to pass air over an electrically powered heating coil. The fan is driven by a direct mounted small electric motor. The motor is usually suspended in a stator frame, which incorporates straightening vanes to counteract fan swirl. The heating coil is wound on a number of flat frames, which are slotted together. The heating coil is enclosed by a heat shield to keep the enclosing housings cool to the touch. Allowing cool fan air to pass between the heat shield and the housings, which can be made of plastic, enhances the ‘cold wall’ effect. Incorporated into the design is a switch to control fan speed selection and hot/cold blow options. Switching interference is damped by a capacitor and different voltage supplies can be accommodated using a potentiometer.
Using Top-Down Design (TDD)
