Perbaikan Rancangan Alat Cheek Retractor Menggunakan Metode Kansei Engineering dan Quality Function Deployment

Abstract

An essential tool in dental procedures, the cheek retractor, functions to pull back the lips, labial mucosa, and buccal mucosa from the working area, allowing maximum light penetration into the oral cavity. However, this tool often causes discomfort during lengthy procedures, highlighting the need for a product redesign. The improvement of the cheek retractor was carried out using the Kansei Engineering method to capture customer needs, along with Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Phases I and II to determine the technical characteristics and critical components of the product based on customer requirements. The results from the Kansei Engineering method included the selection of specifications based on Kansei words obtained from an open-ended questionnaire, which identified preferences such as plastic material, transparent color, dimensions of 13 x 6 x 1 cm, autoclave sterilization method, and an additional function for width adjustment.. The outcomes of QFD Phase I identified priority technical characteristics as weight and mechanical strength, while QFD Phase II determined the critical parts as the structural material and the width adjustment mechanism. Improvement of the structural part material using PC/ABS material and width adjustment mechanism using a ratchet mechanism.