Product development is the life blood of your business. These days, you can`t afford to employ permanently all of the skills that you need to develop products and so choosing the right relationships is critical to your future success. Our experienced engineers all have strong individual track records which makes 42 Technology the perfect partner.
42 Technology can assemble a team or provide access to individuals with skills encompassing the full range and depth of product development from strategy to concept creation and integration into production. We have devised many novel product concepts, often resulting in patent cover for our clients. We can help with all aspects of the product development process but pay particular attention to cost-effective manufacture. Finally we have excellent project managers to ensure that programmes are delivered to time and budget.
Our engineers bring a wealth of experience in industry covering healthcare devices, consumer products, packaging, power tools, gas turbines and special purpose machinery. We cross-fertilise our experience to devise innovative, practical solutions to make your business more profitable.
Laboratory Ware
We have developed a number of laboratory storage solutions which feature in Camlab`s product portfolio. These include tamper evident micro-tubes, `tube-trees`, racking systems and a novel locking storage box for microtubes.
Extrusion Advanced Technology
Football fans are now able to sample their club`s logo fashioned from ice cream. EAT (Extrusion Advanced Technology) has partnered with 42 Technology to create this new approach to product branding that allows logos to be set into food products during manufacture. This fast track development took only 9 months from concept to products on terraces.
Tamper-evident lids
This tamper-evident, hinged lid for 500g tubs has several features for which patents have been applied. The design has received an enthusiastic response from Huhtamaki`s customers and we are currently working on other versions and sizes.
The task was to design a lid with tamper evidence and hinged opening to fit a standard Huhtamaki thermo-formed tub. 42 Technology managed the project from design concepts to a prototype aluminium tool.
Folding electrical plug
Our customer`s design brief was to meet the need for postal delivery of small electrical products, such as mobile phones and set-top boxes. Whilst these are shrinking dramatically in size, a limiting component is the UK mains plug, which will not fit through a standard letterbox.
42 Technology devised this neat patented solution – a folding electrical plug – which will fit through a standard letterbox inside packaging, removing the need for someone to stay at home to receive delivery.
An additional benefit is that the plug is ideal for travel purposes, since it has no protruding pins which may damage luggage while in transport.
The design met the stringent BS1363 safety standard, and will shortly be launched. The design is the subject of a Design Council `Innovation Story`.
Telecoms Adapters
RGL/Commtel seeks to bring innovative products to market in the USA and UK which, in particular, are significantly smaller than competing products, and incorporate features to make them easier to use, and more stylish.
A number of patents have been taken out, some were awarded Millennium Product status in the UK, and many are now branded by British Telecom (BT).
`Performance` Guitar Capo
The guitar capo has been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. The patented Performance design by 42 Technology is the first to allow the musician to simply squeeze it up to the desired tension and release it with one hand. It is also acknowledged to look really cool!
The clutch mechanism is a modified tried-and-tested design used in printers and copiers to provide a simple decoupling and overrun device. A typical example of 42 Technology`s ability to cross fertilise ideas from one industry to another.
The project received a mini Smart Award.
ICE Technology
42 Technology won a SMART award from the department of trade and industry to help conduct a study into an innovative project, which could put an end to cloudy pints in pubs throughout the country.
In association with Brewing Research International, 42 Technology is developing a process which allows pub and hotel beer dispense lines to be cleaned every time a barrel or keg is changed, using nothing more than a slug of ice.
This innovative method of cleaning is forecast to save the typical landlord at least £1300 per year.
Drinks maker
We have worked with Soda Club over a number of years on projects as diverse as brainstorming concepts for safety features, to industrial design and development of a number of products.
42 Technology`s projects have resulted in a number of improvements and newly styled designs being transferred to production.
Smartcard Reader
Dickinson Associates carried out the industrial design for this smart card reader. The brief consisted of an almost full-size block model and some cross-section drawings showing the proposed positions of circuit boards, components and fixings.
There is extensive surface modelling in the body of the Smartcard Reader, as it was particularly important to the industrial designers that there be a minimum of tangency lines on the model to ensure a clean sculpted appearance with good highlights.
42 Technology took the concept model and modelled all the components in Pro/ENGINEER.
Design detailing ensured the components could be readily transferred to manufacture in the Far East directly from our CAD data, ensuring a rapid time-to-market.
Chair base analysis
``We are constantly trying to improve the strength: weight ratio of our office chair bases. We asked the people at 42 Technology to check one of them out, and the results were excellent. They modelled it in Pro/ENGINEER and analysed the stresses in Pro/MECHANICA. We were able to increase the strength by 25% by incorporating minimal extra material``. Jim Edey, Product Designer, RGE Engineering
Metropolitan Road Sweeper
We worked closely with Schmidt engineers to redesign the front suspension and chassis of their Metropolitan road sweeper. The new design introduced an increased payload and four wheel steering.
We also produced the manufacturing drawings for the chassis to enable prototype production.
