Trea Cups

A tea set that that transforms into a compact, decorative palm tree

01 | Overview

Hydrate in Style

Trea Cups is a hand-cast tea set made up of three stackable aluminum cups and steel saucers that nest into a palm-tree silhouette, an ode to Stanford’s signature palms.

Built solo as my project for ME103 (Mechanical Engineering Design), Trea Cups was an exercise in marrying CAD, sand casting, woodworking, sheet metal forming, and lathe work into a cohesive design.

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

6 weeks

Processes

CAD, Casting, Lathing, Woodworking, Finishing

Skills

Design Sketching, CAD Modeling, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing, Manufacturing

02| Problem

A clunky
hydration corner!

If you looked at my site’s intro long enough, you may have guessed: I am a big fan of hydration.

In my shoebox of a dorm, I dedicated a chunk of my limited space to cups and saucers. My dorm set-up at the time was nothing short of disastrous.


So, why not make a funky tea set that is
functional + decorative + compact?

A travesty, colorized (2022)

03| Solution

Presenting…

03| Our Process

Overview

Prototype

  • Foam core + ceramic pots mockups

  • Mini test cups for stacking

  • Magnet strength tests

Research

  • Loose ideation around stationary tea

  • Looked at a tree in the Oval, had the aha

  • Final concept: palm-tree silhouette

CAD + Fabricate

  • 3 cup iterations in Fusion 360

  • 2 leaf shapes

  • Sand casting, lathe work, sheet metal forming

Finalize

  • Troubleshoot

  • Polish