Undermount Personal Storage
A manufacturable storage solution designed to adapt
Summer 2022 Internship
Client / Company
Steelcase Studio b
Role
Product Development Engineering Intern
Skills
Design for manufacturing
3D modeling
Prototyping
Materials
Sheet metal
Laminate
Tools
PTC Creo
Break press
SOTO Personal Console
Background
My team at Steelcase created several custom undermount storage units for different clients, but they often start from scratch if new clients don’t want their previous designs.
Design, engineer, manufacture, and test a storage unit that provides a baseline for price, function, and form while also being aesthetic, manufacturable, and adaptable to meet the unique requirements of future clients.
Constraints
My team makes custom products at low volume with fast lead times, so they don’t do any custom tooling or injection molding. This means my project could only involve sheet metal and wood.
Ideation
How does it open?
What goes in it?
How does it attach?
Internal/External Features?
Process 1 of 2: Hinge Study
All previous designs featured a rounded inset door with pin hinges that ate into the usable space of the unit. I began studying the use of wall mounted hinges instead of pin hinges to give users a wider usable opening. Wall mounted hinges also allow for a proud door design. To test this, I created two double-door storage units that visualized different combinations of hinge type, door placement, and corner design.
Wall Mounted Hinges
Previous Design
Pin Hinges or Wall Mounted Hinges
Rounded Corners or Square Corners
Inset Door or Proud Door
One Extra Door for Proud Setting at Full Height
= 7 Unique Combinations
Double Doored Storage Units
Findings
Wall mounted hinges shrink the gap between the door and the case as they move the door out and around the edge of the shell. However, the hinges themselves encroach on the opening of the unit. They are also more visually obtrusive and expensive compared to the pin hinges.
Process 2 of 2: Body Construction
The Problem
Every previous design featured the same one piece “U” shaped body. Due to the height and width of this body design, it was very difficult to manufacture on a break press. The part would be forced to bend into the machine itself and cause a serious safety hazard.
How might we achieve the same form and function with a more manufacturable body design?
How many different ways can you make a box?
I began brainstorming different ways of achieving the same shape using multiple parts that offered greater manufacturability.
Refined Prototypes
After receiving feedback from manufacturing and tooling engineers, I narrowed it down to three designs.
Chosen for greatest manufacturability despite low visual appeal, greater number of parts, and low novelty
Chosen for novelty, aesthetic, and low number of parts despite higher complexity
Chosen for greatest balance of manufacturability, novelty, and aesthetic
I took what I learned from my hinge study and body construction prototypes to inform my final design. My hinge study showed me that pin hinges offer greater versatility, affordability, and aesthetic. My case construction prototypes showed me that the design with four rounded corners offered the greatest manufacturability, visual appeal, and adaptability.
Bringing it All Together
Hinge Study Prototypes
Body Construction Prototypes
Why It Works
Adaptable
Can fit any dimension without sacrificing manufacturability.
Can feature wall mounted hinges if desired.
LH/RH adjustable in the field.
Manufacturable
Simpler parts than the “U” shaped body.
Offset placements allow for easy spot welding.
Unobtrusive
Understated design with seamless Steelcase integration.
Unobtrusive offsets.
Seamless bottom surface.
Offsets would be hidden when installed under a desk.
Cost Effective
Fewer bends.
Fewer parts.
Affordable hardware.
Takeaways
By the end of the summer, I was very happy to have walked away with two functional, full sized prototypes. These prototypes passed all BIFMA testing standards for undermounted storage units. They also achieve a design that has never been seen on the market.
Next Steps
There are some minor design changes that I’d like to implement such as shrinking the cable openings in the back of the unit and integrating a lock mechanism. I’d also like to investigate using a metal door instead of a wooden one to lower cost. A more rigorous cost model as well as user testing must also be done before this prototype can be manufactured at scale.