A manufacturer of agricultural machinery / vehicles asked Bridgewood to design and manufacture a set of curved aesthetically pleasing exterior panels to replace existing box shape steel panels.
Brief
A manufacturer of agricultural machinery / vehicles asked Bridgewood to design and manufacture a set of curved aesthetically pleasing exterior panels to replace existing box shape steel panels. Key requirements were:
- The product design was required to incorporate a current corporate machine look with a new sleeker curved design.
- The panel design covered both sides of the vehicle covering a total area of 18 sqm.
- The panels had to meet demanding criteria for rigidity and impact resistance.
- Each side of the vehicle incorporates a gull wing hinge mechanism to aid interior machine access.
- High levels of UV protection were specified due to its outdoor use.
Solution
A twin skin sandwich construction was developed that allowed for the combination of a gloss outer material with a lower cost ribbed interior panel.
Results
The finished design allowed for a gloss exterior colour matched outer panel that maintained the sleek design and corporate machine look. The interior panel has a ribbed structure that reinforces the whole panel and allows for the insertion of metalwork hinges and the routing of wiring for external lighting.
The materials incorporate UV resisting coextruded surfaces.
