Hugo_3
The Local Product
I developed a local product for Dessau with local resources from the existing economic and industrial opportunities. The aim was to generate a value chain within a radius of 25 km and to gain far-reaching insights into the different aspects of product development. I have consciously experienced the extent of product development even in the less complex product area. It requires the effort of different expertise and the most diverse competencies to successfully bring a product to market. Such an endeavor is almost impossible. Or not ?!
1. The Network
The idea of a local value chain and the exploitation of existing potentials stood in the foreground of the project. Link points had to be conceptualized and implemented in order to derive a local product from the available resources.
2. The Historical Aspect
No name in Dessau's history stands more for innovation and industrial creativity as Hugo Junkers. He was the founder of the Junkers Flugzeugwerke and the first to develop a full-scale airworthy aircraft. He made the region known on national and international stage and made sure that Dessau flourished economically and industrially. I deal intensively with the question, what is typical Dessau and came in the course of my research on the name Hugo Junkers and the Junkers associated with it works. In addition to the Bauhaus and the Wörlitzer Park, Junkers was the most frequently cited symbol of the Dessau identity in the surveys and interviews.
3. Rotation Process
4. Sketch
6. The Seat
The conceived seat consists of three equal components, which together are supposed to take up the idea of the abstracted Junkers logo.
The first step was to make a template, which should serve as a template for the next and further development steps. The idea of the network concept provides that, depending on the different colors of the metal base body, an associated type of wood should be selected. I decided to take a bright, clearly structured ash wood for the seat. It should stand in contrast to the matt black powder-coated metal base body.
In the second step, the initial sizes for the board thickness were determined, so that in sum with metal construction and wooden seat surface, the perfect, ergonomically optimal seat height can be achieved. It resulted in a board thickness of 20 mm.
In the third step, I calculated a board length that generates as many seat components as possible without wasting material. The primary concern was to ensure that the board lengths could be supplied by the cooperation partner.Theoretically, you would be able to generate 48 seat components for 16 stools from a wood cutting of 4 m in length, 18 cm wide and 7 cm thick.
The geometrically arranged seating components result in interesting structures with the help of the wood grain. These reinforce the geometrical-design language of the stool and give the seat an individual appearance and value. The use and variation of the most varied grain and the most diverse types of wood result in a multitude of creative possibilities. Concluding, organic wood structures become geometric images.
In the 4th development step, the matching individual components of the seating surfaces were separated from each other and a 450 bevel was milled at the individual outer edges. Through this process, the basic form of the individual elements was visually edged and reinforced. The resulting structure is clear and precise. Care was taken to ensure that the chamfer size was not too large, so that there was no restriction on the seating quality.
In step 5, the insides of the individual components were machined with a milling cutter to reinforce the subsequent adhesive bond. It was important to ensure a uniform connection as possible, to support forces evenly to distribute on the seat. For the prototype I used existing fasteners, which acted as dowels. For a series production but fasteners could be used, which come from a sustainable and local production. This would be a complementary production step for a holistic value chain.
7. Metal Construction
One of the most complex development steps in the development process was the conception and calculation of the Hugo_3 basic metal construction. This step required several complex considerations regarding material thickness, weight, production costs, material costs and production possibilities. Each decision had to be structured and conceptualized with the cooperation partners. Finally, a close-to-production production methodology should be developed that should be fast, cost-effective and resource-efficient. In the following I explain the individual conceptions and related production steps.
Another important factor in determining the weight, usability and statics of the stool was choosing the right metal sheet. I researched three possible sheet metal thicknesses, which work well, have a calculable weight and meet the static requirements.
The first step was to cut the 2mm steel plate raw material into the previously designed processing mold. The sheet metal blanks were cut by a laser beam cutting machine capable of cutting sheets up to 30mm into any shape at a speed of 10m / min to 100m / min. The machine used my generated DXF (Drawing Interchange File Format) file. In the next step, the sheet metal blank was bent / folded into the appropriate shape. This was done with a folding machine, which bends the steel sheet to the predetermined angle. In the case of the Hugo_3, all 3 stool components were folded with 80o on the seat and 60o on the stool legs. This step takes little time and a series production would be possible. In the last step of the sheet metal processing, the 3 individual elements and the folded open areas were welded together. The metal construction was now ready for the next production step.
8. Local Network Structure
9. Hugo_3 - Result
10. AR_HUGO_3
The Hugo_3 App allows the user to try the Hugo_3 at home. It is possible to test it through the Augmented Reality Technology in your own living room and compare it with the existing room concept. This gives you the advantage of knowing beforehand whether the piece of furniture fits the interior design style or not.
