Shuttle: A Revolutionary Approach to Mill Grinders

Melting's Award-Winning Design Simplifies Grinding with a Shake

Traditional mill grinders require both hands to operate, and electronic versions, while allowing single-hand operation, are not environmentally friendly due to their consumption of batteries and electricity. Melting, a design team comprising Kenmura Jeng, Leo Chuang, Osegam Wang, and Hans Tsai, took note of these pros and cons and introduced a new design that simplifies the complex grinding process into a simple shaking gesture.

Shuttle's unique properties lie in its intuitive operation and user-friendly design. Users simply shake the grinder back and forth to enjoy well-ground pepper or salt. The silicone base, which also serves as a funnel, makes refilling easy. The grinder is also easy to disassemble and assemble for better cleaning.

Shuttle is made of stainless steel, chosen for its durability and non-toxic properties. The design team faced the challenge of controlling the force of mechanical movement to grind the pepper or salt evenly. The solution was based on the principle of a flying shuttle, combined with a hand-shaking gesture. The pepper is kept in between spiral layers and contacts the stainless steel shuttle on the central axis. Shaking the grinder makes the shuttle move back and forth, and the sharp notch on the shuttle grinds the pepper or salt into fine particles.

Shuttle's design process began in 2013 in Taiwan and concluded in May 2016. The grinder was exhibited at Maison & Objet Paris in September 2017. The project was underpinned by thorough research into improving the user experience, from enhancing the ergonomic touch to streamlining the refill process. The result is a pepper shaker that allows users to grind pepper with one hand and without a battery.

Shuttle's design has been recognized with a Silver A' Design Award, which is awarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that demonstrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder. Shuttle is also patented in Taiwan (No. P9869).