Press Release
Platinum A' Design Award in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Goes to FinaMill Smart Kitchen Mill by Alex Liu
Alex Liu of Elemex recognized for bakeware, tableware, drinkware and cookware design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that FinaMill Smart Kitchen Mill by Alex Liu of Elemex, designed for Elemex Limited, has been granted the Platinum A' Design Award in the Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design category. The result belongs to the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Platinum A' Design Award Means
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
Regarding FinaMill Smart Kitchen Mill
FinaMill is a powerful kitchen mill with interchangeable and refillable spice pods. FinaMill is the easy way to elevate cooking with the bold flavor of freshly ground spices. Just fill the reusable pods with dried spices or herbs, snap a pod in place, and grind the exact amount of spice you need with the push of a button. Swap out spice pods with just a few clicks and keep cooking. It’s the one grinder for all your spices.
About Alex Liu
Alex Liu grew up in silicon valley surrounded by hi-tech, venture capitalists, and fortune 50 companies, but his passion is to solve day to day problems. Alex's obsesses with thinking out of the box and admires smart inventors. He believes true creativity comes when a complex problem overcomes by a simple maneuver, and the best compliment to an inventor is "why didn't I think of that."
About Elemex
Elemex brings the depth of knowledge we have acquired from production and marketing and apply it to our OEM/ODM/sourcing clients. Whether you are looking for someone to help turn an idea into reality or ensuring products you have selected meet the qualit
Award Record
This recognition makes Alex Liu of Elemex a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award
The A' Kitchenware Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good kitchenware designs by best kitchenware brands and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to kitchenware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and kitchenware brands from all countries. Typical entries include pots, pans, cutlery, plates, bowls and glasses. The awarded kitchenware designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/kitchenware
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/94166
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/94166
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!94166
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/261784
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://shopfinamill.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- FinaMill Smart Kitchen Mill
- Function
- Smart Kitchen Mill
- Category
- Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Food & Hospitality
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Light Gray, Dark Olive Green, Silver and Saddle Brown
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Elemex Limited
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Alex Liu
- Country
- United States of America
- Brand
- Elemex
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2019 - 2020
- Design ID
- #94166
Credits
- Team
- Steven Liu
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- FinaMill is a powerful kitchen mill with interchangeable and refillable spice pods. FinaMill is the easy way to elevate your cooking with the bold flavor of freshly ground spices. Just fill the reusable pods with dried spices or herbs, snap a pod in place, and grind the exact amount of spice you need with the push of a button. Switching to another spice is easy, press FinaMill down to release the pod, and press down again to engage with another pod. It is the one grinder for all your spices.
- Inspiration
- Years ago, I wanted to correct the flaws of an imperfect spice mill, flaws so deep they had become the norm, and then build from the ground up a brand new mill nobody had ever seen. A defense against the cross-contamination of flavors. A quicker, more efficient way of changing spices. Single-handed operation. These features were unheard of within the spice grinding industry. The key to our invention came one day when I was working my power tool, and I knew my answer is: interchangeable pod.
- Research
- Our focuses were in reliability, efficiency and functionalities. Robotic arms were used to determine the life expectancy of the button and quick release. We analyze sound wave during operation to find abnormally in our motors and gearboxes. We measure current loading and heat spots to identify inefficiency. We have developed 6 different pods to find 6 different characteristics of spice.
- Challenge
- The biggest challenge was finding a way to make the two rotating pieces work together in harmony. The mill has to turn the pod, and the pod must also be secured firmly into the mill. The mechanical energy must transfer well in order to grind hard materials.
- Realization and Technology
- Electric mills existed for years but failed to extend the benefits beyond milling pepper and salt. The reason is that most come with a tiny cup that is difficult to fill and, there is no way to overcome the cross contamination problem. Our interchangeable pod solves that problem, one spice one pod. Once we extend the usefulness of FinaMill beyond pepper and salt, we developed a quick release mechanism so a user can swap spice pod single handedly, while leaving the other hand to cook.
- Operation and Interaction
- Fill a FinaPods with your favorite spices, bring the FinaMill above the pod and press down to click it into position. Press the button and the electric motor grinds your spices. Press the pod down against your surface again to release. Then repeat the process for the next pod: select click grind savor. This is a big improvement over traditional electric mills as they must be dedicated to one spice alone. If it is filled with pepper, it is a forever pepper mill. FinaMill and FinaPods allow you to have any number of spice pods to use with just one mill.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started over 10 years ago as an idea, and was tinkered with off and on until March 2019. At that time, full dedication was put into the product as a few technical hurtles were finally surmounted.
- Specifications
- FinaMill is 85x85x220mm, power by 3 AA batteries or recharge by mini USB. Our goal is to create an efficient electric mill so the users can grind many pods of spice with just a set of fresh batteries. For example, 3 AA batteries our FinaMill grinds over 1 Kg of Salt. Reliability is another area of our concerns, FinaMill has circuitry to protect the motor and gearbox, so it provides years of reliable service. Our quick release mechanism can engage and disengage the pods over 250,000 times.m
- Keywords
- Kitchen, cooking, food, mill, grinder, pod, spice, spice mill, spice grinder
