Improved functionality and reduced production cost with system redesign and functional prototype in ~ 12 months
Client – GenZ – a producer of next-generation agriculture equipment
Expertise Applied
- Product Design & Development
- Feasibility Analysis
- Mechanism Engineering
- Machine Design
- Frame Design
- Design For Manufacture
- Rapid Iterative Development Cycles: Build-Test-Learn
- Prototype Development
Problem
GenZ Technologies had developed initial prototypes of an advanced pesticide spray system. But the system would need design changes and optimizations to achieve the intended performance.
Solution
SGW Designworks iterated the existing design to improve folding mechanisms, increase airflow, and simplify assembly.
Results / Outcomes
- Multiple prototype and testing cycles led to the optimal design and feature set
- GenZ’s first strawberry sprayers are seeing use in the field by customers
- The company continues to develop new agriculture equipment addressing pesticide drift issues and operator safety concerns
Overview
GenZ Technology is a company that builds farm implements and produces next-generation agriculture equipment for spraying strawberry fields and vineyards. Their innovative sprayer systems take a decades-old process and make it safer and more efficient while helping save farmers money by reducing waste.
When GenZ approached SGW Designworks for help with equipment design and engineering, they had built a handful of working prototypes. But the system needed to be redesigned to reduce production costs and to improve specific functionality — including addressing specific vulnerabilities in the product design, defining better folding mechanisms, and optimizing airflow through the spray system.
As part of the equipment engineering effort, SGW Designworks used Finite Element Analysis for GenZ Technology to help identify possible problem areas. Specific substructures were redesigned for improved strength and resistance to breakage in the field. The entire design was also revised to improve manufacture-ability and reduce production costs. Analysis of pneumatic and hydraulic systems on-board the system also identified areas to improve efficiency and reliability.
| Hardware Developed | Technologies Leveraged |
|---|---|
| Folding Mechanisms | Solidworks 3D CAD |
| Spray System with Optimized Airflow | Solidworks Flow Analysis |
| Bracketry and Assembly Considerations | |