Designing around existing components for bespoke solutions
Often, our customers do not have CAD facilities; they rely upon us to take their vision and work with it to propose and develop a suitable solution.
The challenge:
To conceptualise and develop the design of a housing unit to be fitted to a specialist motorcycle for the emergency services.
The solution:
The end result was a success; not only did it function as our customer was hoping, but we added the BMW logo at their request so that the product was fully on-brand.
Our customer, Vehicle Developments, specialises in preparing and upgrading motorcycles to meet the demands of our emergency services. The finished article needs to be consistent, aesthetically appealing and robust enough to withstand the many challenges faced by these vehicles in service.
A part of the requirement for Vehicle Developments on this occasion included the need for a unit which would house the radio set in what would usually be the pillion seat. The GRP housing was to be set against a rubber moulded pad which would serve as a back rest for the rider when closed, but would be compliant enough to allow the hinged GRP cover to open forward across it.
Our customer provided us with a description of what was required, a rough-cut piece of foam as a guide to the kind of shape they had in mind, along with a prototype of the GRP moulding and a sample motorcycle. We were to develop a proposal for the method of mounting the pad, the material, hardness and surface finish to ensure that the pad was functional and in keeping with the rest of the vehicle.
We created a 3D model of a proposed solution for approval, including the design for a stainless steel insert to be overmoulded in our rubber to create a bonded rubber component that would secure the pad to the hinge assembly. The final solution was successfully trialled and approved.
The final stage was to add the BMW logo as an embossed upstand on the seat pad to align the final result with the rest of the brand.
Derek Ray of Vehicle Developments said of the outcome:
“This project was really important to us; it was a high-profile vehicle and one that we hoped would help us to secure further business. The service and the final product designed by Martin’s was exactly what we were looking for and enabled us to supply our customer with an extremely high quality finish.”
