Thomas J. Schnell – Industrial Design Portfolio

MY WORK

Battery Powered Strapping Tool

2019 – 2022

THE PRODUCT

The Samuel STL-500 is a tool that uses polyester or polypropylene strap to attach products and raw materials to pallets for shipping. The tool uses high powered electric motors to tension the strap, friction weld it together and cut away the access.

Samuel Packaging Systems Group hired DiMonte Group to design them a strapping tool from the ground up. Collaborating within a team consisting of Mechanical Engineers, Electrical Engineers and Software Developers, I helped to bring this product to life.

The STL-500 has been in production since 2023 and retails for $3700.

MY CONTRIBUTIONS

  • Examined adjacent power tools, like drills, planers and circular saws, to extract design insights
  • Ergonomic testing to determine optimum placement, angle and size of handle and battery relative to the center of mass
  • Multiple rounds of sketching informed by client reviews to narrow in on a final styling concept for the tool, battery and charger
  • Detailed CAD design of plastic housings; working hand in hand with engineers to determine the best placement for screw bosses, ventilation, and buttons relative to complex internal mechanisms
  • Graphic design of user interface overlays and STL-500 logo
All final sketches and overlay designs

Ergonomic Testing and Mockups

One of the largest opportunities we identified was to improve the ergonomics of the tool because existing strapping tools on the market felt like they needed three hands to operate. We started by taking a trip to a hardware store to test, identify, and purchase some existing power tool handles that made tools feel lighter and more controllable. We used what we learned to create multiple iterations of clay and foam core prototypes. We discovered:

  • Tilting the handle backward promoted a relaxed wrist posture
  • The center of mass should hang below the users middle finger
  • A handle profile that is taller than it is wide improves maneuverability

Samuel went on to receive a patent for the ergonomic designs that we conceived for this product.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO