Handle Grip

Traditional Product Design, Design for Manufacturing
Project Objective
Led an independent internal injection molding initiative, designing an injection molded handle grip to enhance material samples in product pitches for the sales team.
Skills
Market research, 3D modeling (SolidWorks), design for injection molding, 3D printed mold making, injection molding, 3D Rendering (KeyShot), sketching with Procreate, client revisions, presentation skills
Project Overview
For 12 weeks in the summer of 2023, I got to work alongside the design team at Avient Corporation in St. Louis, MO. As a solo-intern project, I designed and prototyped a material-in-context sample for a handle grip for the sales team to use instead of a flat sample chip.  
Project Info
12-week Avient Design Internship in St. Louis, Missouri
May 2023 — Aug 2023
Problem
Current material sampling methods primarily utilize flat sample chips, which fail to adequately demonstrate how a material will behave and feel when applied to three-dimensional products, such as cylindrical handle grips. This limitation results in suboptimal material choices and user experiences.
Need
There is a need for an overmolded TPE handle to demonstrate the tactile and functional properties of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) to customers, allowing them to experience the sample material in a context that closely resembles its actual use.
I learned that the more refined sketch concepts are, the more attached clients are. I cannot rely on non industrial designers to be able to imagine other alternatives.

Market Research

I conducted market research to discover the ins and outs of handle grip designs. I read hundreds of online reviews, and physically measured and compared three. I compiled my comparisons for the top 8 grips for a summary presentation to the client.

My research revealed that the "Pillow Top" pattern or a pattern with thick pads have the best ratings for comfort, grip, and durability.

Concept #8 Selected

Must haves from sales and marketing team: Avient branding, injection molding manufacturing, and variable thicknesses to show the client options.

We selected Concept 8 for the ergonomics, branding opportunity, and ability to feel variable thickness between different samples.

Next, I moved to CAD modeling it in SolidWorks, removing the flange so it would fit in the cylindrical mold for injection molding.

Prototyping

I collaborated with the additive manufacturing/ engineering intern to 3D resin print a few samples of the handle with and without texture of varying sizes before creating a mold for injection molding. I cleaned up and painted one to get a feel for the finished version.

3D resin printed prototype = success

Mold Prototyping

I learned and employed injection molding best practices (draft, vents, gates, flash, etc.) and designed the mold for a cropped handle, so it would fit in the Morgan Press injection molding machine at Avient.

Next Steps

I am still waiting on a final market-ready sample, but I also designed Avient-branded patterns for future use using Adobe Illustrator and creating a new texture map in Keyshot.

Feedback

At the end of my internship, my mentor told me to, "Keep tackling challenges, once you received information or learned a new skill you immediately would apply it. You did not shy away from trying new skills you learned."

A Senior Industrial Designer I worked with said that I "knocked it out of the park with communication. Kate was great about asking questions and was asking great questions. She excelled at keeping things on track and getting what she needed to work. She made sure we were on the same page and asked clarifying questions if we were not."

Reflection

I collaborated with the engineering team to optimize 3D printed mold design for injection molding.
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I worked with the sales team stakeholders to ensure the design aligned with the objective, always keeping users in mind.
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I strengthened my 3D modeling abilities in SolidWorks, designing for adjustability, and my rendering abilities in Keyshot, designing new textures.
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I learned to ask questions and ask them early to have a clear vision of the end goal.

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