Crosswords1 min ago
Worst Everyday Inventions
14 Answers
Some things very common in everyday life are unbelievably badly designed.
Top of my list is the "jewel case " used to hold CDs. How could someone design something so pathetically flimsy yet go into production by the multi-millions?
Got any others?
Top of my list is the "jewel case " used to hold CDs. How could someone design something so pathetically flimsy yet go into production by the multi-millions?
Got any others?
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I don’t think that you can consider CD jewel cases as an ‘invention’ – although I would agree that it is a poor design, as are standard DVD cases.
Standard CD cases suffer from easily being damaged due to the type of plastic employed in their construction and the total package volume, given the disc volume.
Much better would be to have used plastic envelopes (printed with a cover design/track listings etc), significantly reducing the storage space required, making them like LP’s.
Standard CD cases suffer from easily being damaged due to the type of plastic employed in their construction and the total package volume, given the disc volume.
Much better would be to have used plastic envelopes (printed with a cover design/track listings etc), significantly reducing the storage space required, making them like LP’s.
My vote goes to the ‘Tetra Pak’ cartons, having a removable foil seal beneath a plastic (poor) seal, commonly employed on ‘brick’ cartons.
Used to package milk, juice etc - when decanting, most of the carton’s contents ends up on the kitchen floor. Much better to use the type with a small screw cap, which seem to be gaining in popularity with the suppliers – also made by ‘Tetra Pak’.
Used to package milk, juice etc - when decanting, most of the carton’s contents ends up on the kitchen floor. Much better to use the type with a small screw cap, which seem to be gaining in popularity with the suppliers – also made by ‘Tetra Pak’.
The problem with the CD case is not just the material. The tabs that form the hinge are unbelievable vulnerable to breaking for engineering design errors.
Firstly they have a very small cross section but more importantly the abrupt change in cross section. This is ridicuous especially in a brittle material. One does not make abrut changes like that because it focusses all the stress at the change.
It woud be quite possible to design a more robust case in the same material.
Firstly they have a very small cross section but more importantly the abrupt change in cross section. This is ridicuous especially in a brittle material. One does not make abrut changes like that because it focusses all the stress at the change.
It woud be quite possible to design a more robust case in the same material.
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