Project Espresso

I wanted great espresso at home, but soon realized that most people, myself included, cannot afford the proper equipment.  I wanted to understand why a beautiful and reliable machine could not be had for under $700. The search for great coffee at home lead me to purchase and rebuild two non-working espresso machines, to better understand how they work and possibly how I could make them cheaper and open a new segment in the market.  

Rocket Espresso Boxer

Disassembly

I knew this machine was not working, but the internals were an absolute mess. The central structural wall was rusted out, the water pump didn’t function, and the heating element had exploded inside the boiler.

Cleaning

All brass and copper parts, which were most parts, were placed in a tub of citric acid over night. This brought them to their original luster, and removed all calcium and scale deposits from internal waterways.

CAD

I began by carefully recreating the central wall in CAD; measure twice, cut once.

Engineering Drawings

I then printed the annotated drawings 1:1 and brought them to a machine shop to be produced.

Paint

I received the frame back from the machine shop, and applied paint to rust proof

Assembly

The frame was fixed, the parts were clean, and new seals had arrived. I was ready to assemble.

Testing

after a few final tweaks, the shots were coming out perfect.

Rocket Espresso Cellini

Disassembly

This machine ended up being in great shape after disassembly. Calcium build up from tap water had clogged some of the path ways. Took it apart, and soaked it in citric acid.