Design Series - Front-end

• By Hopper Labs
• In Tips & Tricks
• Posted August 10, 2017

Design Series - Front-end

The Grasshopper Vaporizer’s Front-end is the primary user interface point. Users draw through it, pulling hot air into the chamber, creating vapor as the oil in the plant material boils. A feat of both engineering and manufacturing, the Front-end pairs an elegant design with effective vapor delivery.

A primary goal in the design of the Grasshopper Vaporizer is efficiency. A short vapor path, from chamber to user is key to this. It is a fundamental Hopper Labs belief that a longer vapor path leads to more oil condensing in the vapor path, creating inefficiency and build up.

Manufacturing:

Machined from Stainless Steel and Titanium, the hollow cone shape makes the Grasshopper’s Front-end very difficult to make. The wall thickness, high aspect ratio tooling, and threading in the bottom all created problems during the first production runs. Through a diligent refinement process, HL eliminated the manufacturing issues, allowing for reliable mass production. 

Screen:

The screen found in the bottom of the front-end is honeycomb pattern of stainless steel. Using an advanced etching process, Hopper Labs created the industry’s first no-replace screen. Unlike traditional screens, which are woven from wire, the Grasshopper screen starts as a solid sheet of stainless steel. A tightly packed network of hexagons allows for exceptional airflow and strength.

Insulation and Cooling:

There are a three of cooling mechanisms built into the Front-end. As the hot vapor exits the chamber, it is already starting to cool. The front-end is designed to limit vapor cooling, keeping the heat trapped away from the user.

1. A vapor guide reduces the chamber down to the size of the hole in the front-end. This funnel keeps turbulence to a minimum and guides the hot vapor away from the metal walls. The vapor stream forms a small jet of air, reducing surface area and heat transfer. By keeping the vapor hot and having a short air path the Grasshopper Vaporizer is ­highly efficient and low maintenance.
2. Surrounding the vapor funnel is an insulating air space. The small cavity of air reduced the transfer of heat from the vapor funnel to the heat storage.
3. Beyond the air space sits a cone of copper. Copper has a large capacity to store heat and acts as a reservoir. As you draw on the device, some heat will escape, through the walls of the funnel and pass through the air space. That heat is then absorbed into the copper cone, keeping the mouthpiece cool throughout the draw.

Tips for Use:

• Keep your lip away from the hot air stream. Place them above the taper, towards the back of the device. 
• Draw firmly. The Grasshopper will keep up.
• Turn the Grasshopper off between hits, even if it is just for 5-10 seconds.