Design Case Study: “Off-Grid” Laundry Machine
My Role: Iterative sketch exploration, concept refinement, CAD development & visualization, DFM and tooling specs
Working in direct, close collaboration with inventor and entrepreneur Howard Silagy, I spearheaded the industrial design development of the Lavario portable washing machine, taking the product from an initial mechanical concept through to final commercial production. The objective was to translate a raw utility idea into a rugged, highly functional, and affordable consumer appliance. This required a deep understanding of large-scale injection-molded plastics, fluid dynamics, and high-stress structural engineering. I directed the form refinement and comprehensive 3D CAD modeling, carefully developing the internal basket geometry for maximum water flow efficiency while engineering the external housing and ribbing to withstand heavy, continuous manual forces. The program concluded with the delivery of final, production-ready CAD data, technical specifications, and tooling drawings utilized by manufacturing partners to launch this highly successful product.
Lavario approached us with a new and innovative idea for a manual clothes washing device and needed some help in its development. Using our design process, we were able to push their idea from aspirational concept to a marketable and manufacturable consumer product. Through competitive research, testing, sketch exploration, ideation, and iterative prototyping we analyzed the key “use case scenarios” and “touch-points” to provide the user with a fantastic product experience.
LAVARIO MANUAL WASHER
Lavario is the intelligently designed, hand-powered clothes washing machine. Minimizing the use of water and using no electricity, Lavario is environmentally friendly. Lavario is ultra-light and needs only minimal arm strength to operate. It cleans better than big electric machines utilizing patented “power flow” technology. The perforations in the basket direct and drive water through the clothes as it is plunged up and down in the bucket. From tough stains to delicates, Lavario provides better results while also being eco-friendly and economic.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
CONCEPT RENDERINGS
PROTOTYPE & CONTROL DRAWINGS
Upon finalizing the design, we prototyped and tested the Lavario Washer using large format 3D printed parts. After a few iterations, we moved the CAD to the manufacturing level, developing “control drawings” and a BOM to send to the molders for tooling.
