HyCite Food Cutter

Royal Cutter


Our Approach

research

product design

model making

engineering

When it comes to major kitchen appliance and cookware purposes, consumers expect longevity, professional quality, and high end materials. Enter Royale Prestige, a high end stainless steel cookware company specializing in direct sales. The Food Cutter, designed by the CHOi team for the HyCite parent company, was developed to compliment the existing line of professional grade products while providing innovative solutions to problems within the current product offerings. With a plated cast zinc body, interchangeable cutting blades and unique storage solutions, the final product is an eye catching piece for any kitchen!

HyCite Food Cutter sitting on a kitchen countertop behind a cutting board covered in vegetables

Problems to Solve

The previous product offering had a unique curved design, but too many issues that hurt its sales when demonstrated in person. The blades could only be attached while gripping the sharp outer surface, and the food chute placed users fingers dangerously close to the spinning teeth. The cutter also lacked any storage solution for the various components, and the suction cup base would only fit flat stone counter surfaces, leaving many people without an area to use the appliance.

Every component of a HyCite Food Cutter laid out on a countertop
person having to remove the HyCite Food Cutter’s blade by gripping the sharp outer surface
fingers getting dangerously close to the blade when inserting food into the HyCite Food Cutter’s food chute
section view and a full render of a Hycite Food Cutter prototype
 

Working prototype

The first concept, a vertical configuration with large chute, push down plunger, and blade storage within the body, was build crudely in 3D and cut for breadboard modeling. This initial prototype was built with many adjustable components, allowing for modifications to be made throughout the development and testing process.

A HyCite Food Cutter prototype’s components laid out
detailed view of a HyCite Food Cutter prototype assembly
detailed view of two HyCite Food Cutter prototype components
 

Ergonomics

The user no longer needs to directly grip the outer teeth of the blade, only the inner smooth polished surface, preventing injury or mess while handling the blades.

 
high quality render of the HyCite Food Cutter’s internal storage on left and final design on right
section view of the HyCite Food Cutter’s blade locking mechanism
 

The new blade attachment retrofits to the existing cutter blades, using a rear mounted button that the user can push to move the locking mechanism to engage or release the rear of the blade.

man using the HyCite Food Cutter to shred beets