Is it possible for a successfully executed modular product to be designed by a team that is also in its own way, modular?

 

That question became an important one, when the small entrepreneurial team at Pinnacle TRS approached Nexus for help with a new product idea born from their unique collection of skills and experience. With Dr. Kathy Parmele's professional background as a physician and health coach, Dean Kennedy's in mechanical engineering and manufacturing, as well as their combined accomplishments as endurance athletes, both collectively recognized an unmet need for a more adaptable and more portable massage roller therapy product. Kathy and Dean saw an opportunity to provide a valuable tool to an elite athletic user community of which they are members.

 

The Pinnacle team's early product concept was combined with a basic design layout and plan for interchangeable components, that created various roller contact configurations. Additionally, some early thinking went into materials selection, as well as how parts would be manufactured. It was at this stage where the need for more detailed conceptual exploration and engineering design of every part and every mechanical connection became a challenge. 

 

The project needed more focused design and engineering work that would also be increasingly time-consuming. This risked a progress bottleneck for Kathy and Dean, who were still busy with their existing careers and athletic pursuits. They reached out to Nexus, asking our team to become a force multiplier of design skill and project pace. 

 

As a partner design team, Nexus moved forward in quick, short bursts, pausing briefly to share progress and get input and additional contribution from the Pinnacle team. We began with concept sketches to consider roller tread patterns, engineering approaches for component loading, and secure storage of system components in a custom case. We then moved to 3D CAD work, to define the various mechanical features of the stackable and nesting roller wheels, as well as case mounting and connection features. 

 

Normally the next period of refinement and ultimately design for manufacture (DFM) for most physical products comes with some inherent delays that are a result of the need to harmonize the design approach to the processes of a particular manufacturer. Nexus typically designs parts and the overall product with a given manufacturing process in mind, even from the earliest stages. But final adjustments are always necessary before tooling fabrication and manufacturing activities begin. And the decisions on what adjustments are needed can slow the pace of progress, as one or more manufacturers are included in the information exchange.