Emily Holmes

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University of Nottingham > Engineering > Departments > Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering > PDM Exhibitions > 2024 > MEng students > Emily Holmes

I chose to study PDM because product design was a subject I had been doing in school since the age of 11 and had always been my favourite. I was close to my tech teacher of five years, who pushed me to study the subject further. I love being able to make products myself and design things that I would want to have in my own home.

I also often upcycle furniture at home into new pieces which are to be to used myself. This is something that I get much pleasure from, being able to turn something which would otherwise have gone to waste back into a product that is useful.

I am mostly interested in furniture design. Specifically, I love being given briefs and figuring out what people want from these products. I like the creative freedom of designing furniture. Being able to create something that is aesthetically beautiful for others to admire when in someone's home.

I want a career that I enjoy. I would love to be able to make positive impacts on people or groups of people. One of my favourite parts of design has also been to make fully functioning final designs, being able to do this would also be amazing.

Emily Holmes, MEng Product Design and Manufacture

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Camp Easy

My product is a portable campfire. I want to be able to make a campfire which was more lightweight than current products, so they are easier to carry while backpacking or going on hikes with the stove. I chose to make the product use naturally occurring fuels, like sticks and leaves, so the user would not have to carry any fuel with them.

There is small storage pot included in the design for some small things the user may want, like utensils or matchsticks. The legs are adjustable so the user can change the height of each individually, so the product stays flat and stable on uneven surfaces. There is a feed tube platform which holds the fuels and protects the flame from wind. These together reduce the chances of the flame being blown out and help stop the user from being burnt while using the product. A small vent on the side of the product is used to control the oxygen input to the flame, this therefore allows the user to control the strength of the fire. Pot supports on the top edge of the product, come off for transport, and increase the number of pots that can be used on the product by increasing and decreasing the diameter of the top edge of the products. This means the user does not have to buy new pots to be able to use the product. The rigid top edge of these supports also increases the grip they have on the pots. There is a separate ash chamber threaded into the bottom of the product which catches ash that falls through a grate that comes from the fire. This stops ash from putting out the flame. It is removable so the user can take this out to clean specifically to stop ash from spreading throughout the product.