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Home / Blog / Kickstarter Campaign Update / Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer Update #30
Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer Update #30

Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer Update #30

HEY QI AERISTA FANS!  

Here comes our regular project update, which has been delayed due to the many activities surrounding mass production. We appreciate everyone's patience. For more up-to-date project news, you are welcome to follow our Facebook backers group or supporters group

A lot of work has been put in over the past few years on our Quest for the Perfect Brew. Now that we are approaching the finish line for the first stage of our journey, we would like to sincerely thank everyone for your support and encouragement along the way. 

 Afternoon Tea with Qi Aerista

Evolution of Qi Aerista

Manufacturing Update

Throughout March and April we have been coordinating with our suppliers in the production of 50+ parts, which is no small feat in supply chain management. 

As an example, the following shows our infuser baskets from production to delivery. The production process involves a series of stamping, deep drawing, punching, rolling, cutting, seaming, welding and polishing.

Making the infuser

Parts that have arrived at our factory include various electrical components, metallic parts, silicone gaskets, and packaging boxes.

Gathering materials for brewer production.

We will begin final assembly work once we receive all the parts. Unfortunately, a number of parts are lagging behind in production, which in turn have held back our overall assembly schedule. 

Now we are targeting to start brewer assembly in the second week of May and continue throughout May to early June. Once complete, we will ship out the brewer between early to mid June. We appreciate everyone's support and patience.

PCBA & Firmware 

After weeks of meticulous debugging and testing, we have finally given the green light to our PCBA manufacturer to mass produce our PCBA. Production is already running  this week and should take a few days to complete on the automatic assembly lines.

Finalized PCBA samples set for production.

APP

How's our app? Give it a test drive at http://ap.qiaerista.com/app/download.html. Share your thoughts at support@qiaerista.com

Various actual app screenshots.

User Guide

A lot of work has been put into the user guide to help you understand and enjoy great tea with our smart brewer. Be sure to read through the user guide before your first use. It would be available  in early May for backer review. 

Drafting the user guide.

Safety Certification

After weeks of testing at external accredited labs, we are proud to announce that our 220V model brewer have passed the CE safety certification! Safety certification for our 110V model is currently underway and should be completed in due time. Both models are essentially the same in design, both of which adhere strictly to international safety standards.  

Rating label for Qi Aerista's 220V version with the CE mark.

 

Plugs

Here are the plug options that our first batch of brewers will provide, which are type B (e.g. 110V for US, CA), type G (e.g. 220V for UK, HK, SG), and type E/F (e.g. 220V for EU). 

Plug options that our first batch of brewers will provide.

Originally on our Kickstarter campaign we plan to only provide 2 types. But after working with our manufacturer, we are able to include the EU plug as our third option.

For backers who ordered a 220V version but does not use either G or E/F plugs (e.g. AU/NZ/CN), you will be sent the 220V/1000W version with plug type G (the middle one with rectangular pins). We suggest to add on a separate 3-pin grounded adapter, which can be ordered online or at your local electronics stores. Please make sure it is rated for 2000W (10A/250V) and certified (e.g. CE).

Patents

We are proud to announce that our new brewer has just been granted a design patent by the China Patent Office! We are in the process of extending it internationally to the US and EU. We are also in the process of filing 3 additional invention patents, covering 3 innovative design aspects of our brewer.

Excerpt page from our granted design patent.

Shipping

To see how our brewer package will fare through the postal delivery system before we actually ship, we have mailed out a few of our brewer samples between cities thousands of kilometers apart across China. All have arrived unscathed and in fully functional form. 

Based on the test results, we will upgrade our box packaging to make it more sturdy. While it will incur slight cost increase on our side, it's more important to ensure the safe arrival of our brewers. Next come more test deliveries to international destinations over the next couple of weeks.

If you need to change your address before we ship, please do so ASAP as we will lock down the address list in advance of actual shipment, likely around mid-May. 

Test package arriving safely at its destination.

 

Timeline 

Here's our scheduled timeline leading to brewer production and shipment. 

- Apr to Early May - Materials preparation for mass production 

 - Mid May - First pilot production run 

 - Late May - Mass production 

- June - Shipment 

 Over the next 2 weeks we will see: 

 - Continued internal testing for production version brewer samples 

 - Completion of safety certification testing at external labs 

 - Beta testing for Android and iOS app 

 - Work with manufacturing partners to coordinate mass production 

____________________     

Qi Aerista Smart Brewer & Teas: Touching Hearts with a Perfect Brew Every Time!  

Cheers,  

Rick @ Qi Aerista

5 comments

May 12, 2018 • Posted by John

Hi! How do we go about updating our shipping address? Thanks!!

Apr 27, 2018 • Posted by Terry Plumlee

I need to change my shipping address since my gift recipient has moved – what’s the best way to ensure correct shipping address?

Apr 24, 2018 • Posted by Joy Bucy

I need help on checking the address you have for me. I can’t remember when I entered my address, but I’m pretty sure I’ve moved since then. I’m looking forward to getting and using the Qi Aerista. Thanks!

Apr 23, 2018 • Posted by LIsa Hopper

Thank you for keeping us updated. I’ve downloaded the app and can’t wait to start using it. Thank you again for all your hard work in getting this to completion.

Apr 23, 2018 • Posted by Robin Clark

I am so happy for you, Rick and Karen and your Qi Aerista team. All you hard work, dedication, resilience and patience have made your dreams come true. The design of the finished product is clean and attractive. The tea is exquisite… pure and sublime to taste. You made it! Congratulations! The world awaits your gift.
Be well. Be blessed. Be the blessing.
Enjoy the days ahead. ♥️

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