Thought I’d shine a bit more light on a product I helped develop for a client, the Purcy Chair Co., after my post for Pattern a couple of weeks ago.
A few years ago, Aaron Gibson approached me about developing a portable barber’s chair that needed to be significantly lighter than standard models and quick to break down for easy transport, whilst still offering all the standard capabilities of a salon chair.
Aaron had been turned away by multiple manufacturers and design agencies, having been told the tooling costs would be too high for the project to succeed citing potential costs running into 7 figures.
With my background in medical and disability products, where low volumes are the norm, I was able to look at the project from a different perspective and come up with a different approach suitable for smaller production numbers.
I worked closely with Aaron from the start:
– After chatting to him about his goals, I expanded on Aaron’s initial concept sketches through development sketching.
– We built and iterated on a 3D CAD model, reviewing regularly.
– I designed all components specifically around laser cutting, CNC folding, machining and sheet metal fabrication. These methods removed major upfront costs, whilst offering reasonable per unit costs.
– Once approved, I produced a complete pack of 2D engineering drawings for prototype and production.
The Purcy Chair is now sold in multiple countries, with version 3.0 due out later this year! I continue to work with Aaron and support ongoing development.
Some of the best ideas are the unusual ones!
You can also check out our new case study page on the Purcy Chair here: https://www.rf3design.co.uk/1141-2/
RF3 Design Limited
The Grainger Suite, Dobson House
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 3PF
