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Industrial Design
Provides
New Look for the Future
The
fabrication technology specialist FINN-POWER has recently given
a new look to their products. More curved shapes and the use of
new materials form the design basis of a new machine tool
generation. The benefits include: a design with a more personal
touch; cost savings; enhanced user friendliness; and, most
important, a more distinct differentiation from the competition.
The sales figures
of the C5 turret punch press surpass expectations, which Juha
Mäkitalo, VP R&D at FINN-POWER considers proof of the strength
created when industrial design is successfully combined with
technical R&D.
According to
Mäkitalo, the question is not of an individual project but of a
wider change process which forms a guideline for future R&D
efforts and continues corporate
 commitment
to considering industrial design as being an essential part of
the overall quality image in machine tools.
“We decided to
redefine the decade-old design principles underlying our entire
product range,” explains Mäkitalo. “The process has also been a
considerable learning experience for our entire corporate
culture.”
By “learning
experience” Mäkitalo means that traditionally the industrial
designer’s work is often kept separate from the engineering
input.
“Very often, the
designer is given the
 technical
framework of a product innovation as a starting point, and
observing this he or she designs the visual aspects of the
product,” he says. “Next, the proposal is reviewed by the R&D
personnel, assessed from the technical point of view, and
finally an in-house design engineer makes the final prototype.”
This leaves the
industrial designer with a passive role – and a lot of useful
dialogue never takes place.
Continuous Designer
Participation
In the FINN-POWER
project, a
 closer
link was sought between the industrial designer’s know-how and
the in-house R&D procedure. “We had the ambitious goal of
integrating designer input also in the technical process. We
wanted a modern design, but also a more user friendly solution
and cost savings through the choice of materials” Mäkitalo
explains.
Linking the
industrial design process as part of the technical development
called for a new approach from both expert parties. “As the
project progressed, it became obvious that continuous
participation of the designer was decisive for obtaining
successful results and for meeting the project schedule.
Continuous assessment and development of ideas were productive,
although at first, active designer involvement felt somewhat
strange. Perhaps it was a question of our own attitudes,”
Mäkitalo reflects.
Once adopted, the
new design strategy resulted in an original design that not only
sets the products apart from competition but also supports
corporate image.
“With small
changes we managed to add personality to our machines,” says
Mäkitalo. “In the new product and overall approach, form is
built into the product itself. For example, the dominating curve
element in the design is realized by flame cutting the frame.
This creates savings as cover plates could be largely
eliminated. The shape is in the basic structure, so it needn’t
be added separately by using cover plates.”
The bulk of the
industrial design input was received in the early stages, when
different concepts were developed. As the project went on, the
designer helped to process them for implementation as well as
investigated alternative manufacturing techniques.
“An engineer, or
a man in the street, can often say that something does not look
good or is not in harmony, but is unable to specify why – not to
speak of knowing how to improve it. An industrial designer spots
the problem immediately and can make several suggestions for
ways of making the aesthetic impact good,” explains Mäkitalo.
Turret Punch Press is King
In automated
fabrication shops, the turret punch press is a focal machine
tool, which places heavy demands on its performance. “Capacity,
precision, compatibility with the specific fabrication tasks in
question and automation of work stages are decisive from the
customer’s point of view, but good looks and a high-quality have
increasing importance in the decision making,” Mäkitalo says.
Mäkitalo
describes the C5 as the foundation on which the new FINN-POWER
machine tool generation is to be built. New design strategy
originated in the need for one machine model, but it was clear
from the start that new industrial design would be extended to
the entire product range.
“According to our
experience, implementing a successful design strategy requires
that experts from different fields have enough opportunities to
exchange opinions in the course of the process. This means they
have to be continuously present. To finalize the details, the
industrial designer needs active participation from the project
management and R&D engineers, and vice versa,” Mäkitalo says.
To have
flexibility in vision is also essential on both sides. The
industrial designer must be able to change his or her views when
costs or manufacturing techniques so require. In turn, the
engineer’s extra effort is needed when something must be re-made
for improved appearance, and project delays must be allowed even
when they are due to purely design reasons.
“To stick to the
adopted overall design and apply it to the whole product also
means an investment of its own in the development project,” he
says. “Industrial design strategy also supports corporate
communications. Product literature, videos, presentation
materials, and information bulletins follow the same visual
line.”
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710
Remington Road 
Volume
15 Issue 1 -
July 2005