New IT product with a new look for a market leader in 4 months
Client – Cradlepoint – a world leader in enterprise routing and networking products
Expertise Applied
- Product Design & Development
- Feasibility Analysis
- Industrial Design
- Mechanical Design
- Enclosure Design
- IP-Rated Design
- Ruggedization
- Prototype Development
- Manufacturing Handoff
Problem
Cradlepoint needed to develop a new look and feel for an upcoming enterprise access point, and wanted fresh approaches.
Solution
SGW Designworks developed multiple Industrial Design concepts ultimately helping Cradlepoint carry forward what is now the commercialized AP22.
Results / Outcomes
- Multiple prototype and testing cycles led to the optimal design and feature set
- The product was launched in early 2018 as the Cradlepoint AP22 and has been a commercial success
- Cradlepoint continues to collaborate with SGW Designworks on products
- The continual release of innovative new products earned Cradlepoint recognition as the Innovative Company of the Year at the 2019 Idaho Innovation Awards
Overview
Over the years Cradlepoint’s products have earned the company a reputation for durability, reliability, and innovative design. When they set out to design a new WiFi access point for enterprise applications, they knew that the product would need to provide a certain aesthetic. Cradlepoint chose SGW Designworks as their industrial design company for this product.
When a client engages SGW Designworks for industrial design, it is critical that we make sure to understand the market space in which the product will be used. For example, the design goals for a consumer home networking product are different from the design goals of an enterprise product that will be mounted on walls in airports. SGW Designworks designers take application considerations as well as the marketing goals of the client into account when developing the exterior shape of a product. For the new Cradlepoint Enterprise Access Point, the product aesthetics would need to achieve a number of things:
- Provide a look compatible with many different retail and industrial applications.
- Provide visual differentiation from other products, without being overly conspicuous when wall or ceiling mounted.
- Be easy to manufacture in mid to high volumes.
- Provide internal consideration for antennae, cable routing, and connectors.
SGW Designworks collaborated closely with Cradlepoint throughout the industrial design effort. The teams worked together to choose between a number of industrial design concepts, incorporating input from Cradlepoint engineers and marketing executives. The design objectives were achieved by developing a subtle yet unique exterior shape, with multiple textures to create a specific visual effect. Functional goals were achieved by applying sound engineering and manufacturing insights throughout the industrial design project.
| Hardware Developed | Technologies Leveraged |
|---|---|
| Plastic enclosure | Solidworks 3D CAD |
| Keyshot Rendering Engine | |
| FDM and SLA 3D Printing | |