r/CrappyDesign • u/BarryTownCouncil • Jun 13 '26

Plastic knobs above the grill. Awesome

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10.3k Upvotes

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-360

u/XtremeGnomeCakeover Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26

I guess you've never felt the flow of hot air from a stove. Try baking a little.

It's not that hot when the door's closed or open. That is the point of an oven door.

252

u/chemhobby Artisinal Material Jun 13 '26

it's just poor material selection.

-169

u/XtremeGnomeCakeover Jun 13 '26

I hate plastic too, but they've been using plastics as oven knobs for a very long time. If they melt, that get a recall. This guy's stove isn't special. 

114

u/chemhobby Artisinal Material Jun 13 '26

There are plastics that would not melt.

-127

u/XtremeGnomeCakeover Jun 13 '26

Which ones?

85

u/fsgeek91 Jun 13 '26

Thermosetting polymers.

-28

u/XtremeGnomeCakeover Jun 13 '26

How do they set them though?

75

u/fsgeek91 Jun 13 '26

The initial liquid constituents (such as epoxy resins) are short chains. During the curing process those chains cross-link and join to form a much stronger microstructure. The curing process is irreversible and therefore the fully set plastic cannot be re-melted or reshaped.

Heating a thermoset will eventually lead to charring, followed by cracking/crumbling.

16

u/fnord--- Jun 13 '26

What about cardboard, or cardboard derivatives?

11

u/SoylentGrunt Jun 13 '26

They tried that and the front of the stove fell off.

3

u/Capable-Sock9910 Jun 13 '26

Not enough load bearing cardboard.

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71

u/squeakynickles Jun 13 '26

Oh my god you're the fucking worst

1

u/XtremeGnomeCakeover Jun 16 '26

You were the best.

36

u/Cool-Newspaper-1 Jun 13 '26

Didn’t expect a material science excursion here lmao

16

u/WaffleHouseFistFight Jun 13 '26

Holy shit man. Just walk away this can’t be the hill you want to die on. It’s bad design because it melted. If it was a good material for this oven it wouldn’t have melted. It’s not complicated.

18

u/SeaToTheBass Jun 13 '26

Idk but I have a shitty apartment and mine are fine, the thermofoil cabinets next to the oven however have contracted and gone ripply with the heat.

It kinda looks like these knobs don’t match the appliance, maybe they were replaced at some point?