BOLTGROUP
DESIGN PARTNERSHIP
Since SPARK’s inception in 1997, we have partnered with the national design innovation firm BOLTGROUP to help create dozens of innovative product solutions. SPARK's engineering team provides mechanical design and DFMA expertise to augment BOLTGROUP's talented team of researchers, strategists, industrial and graphic designers, and engineers.
Throughout this partnership, BOLTGROUP has provided the product and brand vision—completing research, strategy, and design direction. SPARK then works as part of BOLTGROUP's team, tinkering under the hood to ensure functionality and hammering out the 3D modeling to prepare parts for manufacturing while carefully maintaining the original design intent. Some of the numerous projects this partnership has brought to market are highlighted below:
“For more than 25 years we have relied on SPARK as a trusted partner and expert in product development, engineering, mechanical design, and DFMA. Their team of multi-disciplinary creative engineers and designers compliment our internal teams especially on innovation programs with a high degree of engineering and technological complexity and scope. By applying skill, knowledge, grace, efficiency, and humility, they work seamlessly with our designers and strategists to convert bold vision into clear, simple, and practical solutions.”
— Jamey Boiter
(Principal | CEO, BOLTGROUP)
Project Gallery
CrewCom
The CrewCom is a portable intercom system designed to facilitate hassle-free communication between sports teams and work crews. Based on BOLTGROUP's industrial design direction SPARK engineered and modeled the device enclosure to prepare it for production.
The case design proved challenging—with its numerous ingress points around the controls, a removable battery door, and a sweeping parting line. SPARK was able to create a fully parametric model using complex surfacing to maintain the exact ID vision without compromising on protecting CrewCom’s sensitive electronics.
Dematic
When Dematic commissioned BOLTGROUP to design their line of autonomous warehouse robots, they brought SPARK onto the team to provide engineering expertise. BOLTGROUP created a visual brand language for these machines and improved their usability and ergonomics, while SPARK was responsible for modeling the exterior “skins'' to capture BOLTGROUP's vision and ensure parts were manufacturable.
SPARK also worked with BOLTGROUP to redesign the internal frames and chassis of each machine—minimizing part counts, streamlining production, and ensuring the functional demands of these complex machines were met. Ultimately, Dematic claimed that the DMFA efforts removed as much as 2,000 hours of welding time from the fabrication of their largest unit.
Rioux Vision
Mobile healthcare solutions provider Rioux Vision tapped BOLTGROUP to create a distinctive design for an innovative wireless medical cart, which also incorporated a workstation and medication distribution capabilities. The cart needed to seamlessly integrate unique features in order to maximize the time and efficiency of healthcare workers.
BOLTGROUP partnered with SPARK to help configure internal components and model the sculpted exterior surfaces in order to achieve a cart design which was functional, flexible, ergonomic, and intuitive. The cart features a first-of-its-kind stowaway keyboard, a minimized stable footprint for maximum maneuverability, and interchangeable components, including a medication drawer system for versatile functionality. Constructed using an innovative combination of permanent mold castings for structural elements and injection molded housings, the Rio medical cart was built to work. The cart won a 2006 Good Design Award and continues to be produced today.
Attention Trainer
Originally developed by NASA to train pilots to maintain concentration, the Attention Trainer utilizes sensors to detect and analyze EEGs (brainwave signals) to monitor attention levels. Venture start-up East3 LLC licensed the technology from NASA in 2000 with the goal of treating children with ADD by using video game exercises to help them better control their brain wave patterns through real-time EEG neuro-feedback.
NASA's original system was an intimidating mess of wires and sensors though, so East3 contracted SPARK to develop a more approachable, user-friendly system from concept through production. SPARK created initial CAD layouts and project specifications then partnered with BOLTGROUP for user research and ergonomic studies to determine the needs of parents and children as well as proper anthropometric measurements to fit a wide range of head sizes.
SPARK then worked from BOLTGROUP's data and concept sketches to create a manufacture-ready 3D CAD model. The result was a helmet design which would precisely align sensors to a variety of head shapes and sizes, but with a more familiar and fun form for its young users—all while reducing manufacturing costs.
Clear2O
Applica Consumer Products, a producer of Black & Decker kitchen appliances, was seeking to raise the bar in the filtered water category. They turned to BOLTGROUP to identify gaps in the market and develop a game-changing product to meet user needs. After extensive research and consumer studies, SPARK was brought in to support the development of BOLTGROUP's innovative concepts and produce high-end, tool-ready 3D CAD of the sculpted pitcher design.
The Clear2O pitcher addresses two key pain points with existing products: filtration is too slow, and typical pitchers don't hold enough water. Rather than utilizing painfully slow drip-filtering, SPARK helped BOLTGROUP to design a unique system that forces water straight from the faucet through a carbon block filter, eliminating five times more contaminants than competitors while filling in seconds rather than minutes. Because this system does not require a fill reservoir, which effectively stores air after the water is filtered, Clear2O holds 50% more water within the same refrigerator space as a traditional filtration pitcher. SPARK also engineered an innovative flow meter that accurately measures water intake and indicates when the filter should be changed based on actual usage rather than arbitrary time-based alternatives. All in all, SPARK produced models for over 30 custom plastic parts that comprise the Clear2O pitcher.
Clear2O proved an immediate market success that was named a “Best Buy” by Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping. It can still be purchased at clear2o.com
HunterLab
Stemming from a longstanding partnership, HunterLab, a producer of state-of-the-art color measurement instruments, presented BOLTGROUP with a significant request. They wanted a new product that would not only stand out as an industry leader, but also serve as the foundational design to establish an entirely new visual brand language for a future family of products—all within an aggressive timeline. BOLTGROUP stepped up to the challenge and turned to SPARK for mechanical design support.
Beginning with what would become the HunterLab Vista, BOLTGROUP developed a distinctive look and feel for the brand that could be adapted and extended to future designs. They also devised features that would improve ergonomics and ease-of-use while minimizing product footprints to save valuable laboratory countertop space. SPARK created 3D models which tightly maintained BOLTGROUP's design language through production-ready assemblies. We also provided mechanical design support to reduce part counts and cost, and ensure high quality functionality and feel for moving parts such as hinged access doors and a motorized adjustable display. Following the initial Vista product, BOLTGROUP and SPARK continued on to create the Aeros and Agera for HunterLab to further expand a highly successful—and eye-catching—product family.
Polar Wand
GI-Supply, a Pennsylvania-based gastroenterology product company, purchased a cryosurgical technology which was intended to effectively control bleeding within the gastrointestinal tract, but the acquisition was far from market-ready. They approached BOLTGROUP with three product objectives—package and refine this new technology into an easy to use, affordable to manufacture, and visually interesting design, which would enhance patient outcomes.
SPARK supported BOLTGROUP through the development, prototyping, and testing of a complete systems design, including the circulation of liquid CO2, cryogenic plumbing, and specification of solenoid valves. SPARK also modeled a tool-ready package for the system based on BOLTGROUP's industrial design direction and ergonomic specifications. The resulting Polar Wand system was enthusiastically received by the market, winning Gold in the 2009 Medical Design Excellence Awards.
Ready Tools
Everyone knows the frustration of always missing the one size socket that you actually need. Inventor Billy Henry had a clever solution to this problem—a socket wrench with a full socket set stored in the handle—and he had secured a patent on it, but the design was far from market ready. BOLTGROUP was tasked with elevating the concept into a more elegant product line and a recognizable brand with an appealing look and usable design that users could trust to get the job done.
SPARK worked alongside BOLTGROUP to develop 3D models based on their design vision. A key feature BOLTGROUP had developed was a “window” cut through the handle to allow users to see the parts stored inside, making the function and benefit of the tools obvious and intuitive. SPARK ran Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tests and worked with BOLTGROUP to refine the design and ensure the Nylon plastic handle could handle high torque usage as well as the typical day-to-day abuse that tools tend to see—even with an opening cut through the grip.
The result was a handle design that would outlast the metal ratchet components themselves, making Ready Tools even more durable than existing products. Through this partnership a suite of Ready Tool products were successfully designed and brought to market, eventually leading to a buyout of the brand by a well known tool manufacturer.
