Benchtop Chiller
for PolyScience
An all-new product offering that provides users the maximum amount of chilling power in a very small footprint. Inside and out has been specifically designed to make this unit easy to produce and simple to use.
Existing Problems
A - The side mounted control panel takes up too much counter space
B - The protective hood hangs over the workpiece, dripping lubricant onto samples and users
C - Lubricant controls are inside of the unit and not accessible during operation
D - The control lever is designed in such a way that natural operation can strain a user’s wrist
E - The sheet metal fabrication of the unit is prone to severe degradation after years of use, significantly shortening the product’s life
Ergonomic Evaluation
LECO engineers had already began creating an initial design solution to address their concerns. Evaluating the ergonomics of this design revealed some interesting considerations that would need to be explored. For a person of average height, the control lever is in an acceptable location for a person to grab naturally. However, the main electronic controls and touchscreen display would not only be too hard to see but nearly unreachable. This design makes the overall machine more robust at the cost of the user’s experience. The concepts presented to LECO all moved the electronic controls to the base of the unit. The idea was to create a pocket that the electronics could be safely housed, and we argued that the usability advantages far outweighed the added complexity to the base. All of these concepts also address the viewing angle issue, employing different solutions for how to move the touch screen panel closer to the user. The control lever had the grip oriented horizontal to make it easier to hold and operate without straining the hand. The protective hood also moves as the client wanted, with holes on either side to accommodate longer workpieces. Stylistically, all of these saw designs take the existing LECO design language and employ it in different ways to make this product feel related to the rest of the LECO product family.
Final Design
A - All commonly-accessed controls are placed as close to the user as possible
B - The touch screen control panel can be adjusted to any position concentric with the protective hood allowing users to adjust the controls to their preferred height
C - Control lever is made horizontal and shares the same parts and axis as the touch screen control
D - The protective hood folds into the body of the saw as specified and the overall enclosure matches the rest of LECO’s product offerings
As of this writing, LECO has entered the early phases of production for this product.