Coffee beans are encapsulated in a paper-like shell called parchment. Parchment retains moisture which must be dried slowly and evenly to preserve taste. Otterbein University students were approached by Crimson Cup Coffee to develop a pre-roasting coffee bean drying system that will be autonomous and acquire heat as well as energy from sunlight.

Students were split up into teams of three to invent and develop a working prototype. Working as the lead designer, I was tasked with ideation, computer aided design (CAD), and 3D printing of prototype parts. This design features two rake arms which displace the parchment-encased coffee beans into intersecting concentric rows. This means as the rake turns, the arm is splitting the row left by the previous rake and directing the beans away from the previous direction. The rake also features a turned face which allows for the coffee bean to be flipped allowing access to sunlight and air.

The team received recognition by Crimson Cup Coffee as the winners of the design challenge. The team was also featured in Daily Coffee News and Roast Magazine for our work with Crimson Cup Coffee.

​Seen below is part of the ideation and design process used to develop this pre-roast drying machine.