When Oxford Instruments embarked on the development of its MQC benchtop NMR analyser, it turned to designer Crucible Industrial Design and precision toolmaker Midas Pattern to help make it a reality
Award Winning Industrial Design from Crucible with Midas.
Designing industrial equipment can be a complex and often collaborative affair.
Function is always important, but sometimes ease of use is not well considered and the attractiveness of a unit can be overlooked completely.
When Oxford Instruments embarked on the development of its new MQC benchtop NMR analyser, the company knew exactly what it wanted to achieve.
So it turned to designer Crucible Industrial Design and precision toolmaker Midas Pattern Company to help make it a reality.
Mike Ayre, managing director of Crucible Industrial Design, explains: "Oxford Instruments wanted to make a strong statement in the marketplace.
"It wanted three things: ease of use, ease of construction and dramatic looks".
Benchtop NMRs are used to quantify proton-bearing constituents such as water, oil and fats, offering a more straightforward sample preparation compared with traditional methods, and with shorter processing times.
Analysers are used for a myriad of purposes from measuring the fat content in snack foods to the amount of fluoride in toothpaste.
The starting point for Crucible was to take a detailed brief from Oxford Instruments and find out exactly what the benchtop analyser would do and how laboratory staff would use it.
This information would inform the final design just as much as the actual components that had to be incorporated into the finished product.
When Ayre and his team visited Oxford Instruments they found a working prototype and an enthusiastic group of development engineers.
As he recalls: "This really was a real team effort between ourselves and the engineers at Oxford Instruments, and of course later on in the process, Midas.
"Our role, as designers, is to work with the client to identify how a product should look, how it should be made and how it will be used.
"This final element is particularly true with a scientific instrument because ergonomics will have a major impact on the ease of use".
The next step was for Crucible to develop 16 design concepts, which were whittled down to four and then to a single design that was fine-tuned and rapid prototyped.
This prototype was the basis for the mould that would eventually be used to produce the unit's polyurethane casing.
During the concept phase Crucible liaised with Midas to ensure that its design ideas could actually be manufactured.
Ayre explains: "We had a good understanding of what we could do with polyurethane moulding.
"But it was important to talk with Midas to make sure that the design worked, that the component could be produced and that we would not end up giving them any manufacturing headaches".
Midas took the prototype and used it to extract the measurements it needed to create the mould.
The challenge was not just in designing a mould that would produce the casing to the correct specifications and tolerances, but also to ensuring that the finish of the final component was in keeping with the overall feeling of quality.
Ayre continues: "Midas managed the interpretation of the data extracted from the prototype extremely well.
"More to the point, getting the right surface finish was crucial and they achieved an excellent finish for the components.
"The surface finish is important because the components had to be painted.
"Again the paint finish was excellent because Midas has a very professional paint shop and strict quality control".
The benchtop analyser was designed as two separate units, with the magnetic components and the electronics in different boxes, to provide maximum flexibility.
"The electronics unit can be placed next to the analyser itself or it can be positioned above or below the analyser unit to minimise the footprint on the benchtop, which can often be a premium in laboratories.
Ayre explains some of the issues Crucible and Midas had to tackle.
"There were significant challenges because the magnet is very heavy so we had to make sure the case was strong.
"We also had to work closely with Oxford Instruments's engineers to ensure ease of access to the electronics so that the probes could be quickly and easily replaced".
Scientific equipment of this nature is not produced in high volumes, so the manufacturing process has to be straightforward enough to keep production costs down.
However, neither Oxford Instruments nor Crucible wanted the overall quality and presentation of the unit to suffer as a result.
"This is where the skill of Midas comes into play, because its experience of polyurethane moulding meant it could help deliver the ideal balance of cost and quality".
Ayre explains: "We focus on trying to get a really good match between the volume of the parts required and the process used to manufacture them.
"Because we are dealing with low volumes with the benchtop analyser, polyurethane is a good material because it is economical, but the parts are of high quality.
"Durability and longevity of the tooling is important, but we also need to ensure that if any technical developments with the analyser take place, it will be easy and cost effective to update the moulds".
The end result is a benchtop analyser that has the largest sample capacity and the smallest magnetic footprint in its class.
And as proof of all the hard work that went into its design, the unit also won an Instrument Business Outlook Industrial Design Award for innovation and distinction in analytical and life science instrumentation.
The judges said the design was 'not only intelligent, but also fun', highlighting the smooth, crisp blue finish, compact size and curved sides.
The panel also commended the analyser for having 'a striking visual look that communicates that the instrument is easy to use and technically advanced'.
For Mike this is confirmation of a job well done.
"The judging panel made some very good comments," he says, "which reflect our aims for the design and confirms that we have achieved our goals."
