Lamina which is the Latin translation for blade aims to provide both an ergonomic and organic form to the humble scalpel. The target market for Lamina are designers both male and female aged 20+, who are interested in interesting forms and have their own workspace set up at their home or at their work where they are able to craft and model make.
Many scalpels in the market for crafting are either cylindrical like the famous Xacto knife or flat handled which are derived from their medical counterpart. Both these forms are very plain and basic. With this in mind the form of the Lamina blade has been designed to follow the function of the product. The curved handle and grooves give the user a more sense of control over the knife as it is well rested within the palm of the hand, the radius of the handle is big enough to compensate for small to large hands.
As scalpels are used a lot for precision cutting whether it is for stenciling or model making, a lot of pressure is put onto the fingers when cutting for a gradual period of time.
From personal experience a lot of pressure is put onto the fingers when cutting for a gradual period of time and due to the amount of precision needed when doing tasks such as model making or stenciling, finger pains and cramps become common. To fight this problem the Lamina’s handle is triangular to replicate the tripod grip to give a more relaxed grasp on the handle when doing precise work. Also a added santoprene grip is added to give extra support when gripping the scalpel.
The Lamina blade is organic in its shape with its long curves yet it has strong bold lines and edges. When placed into the stand it becomes a decoration piece and can be positioned in the workshop with pride. The handle is made from stainless steel which is contrasted by the black santroprene grip to give it a sleek sharp look.
I'm very impressed that you chose to design for designers. The product is something that definitely needed to be fixed and your solution is contemporary and stylish. I really like how you have tried to make it suitable for a number of different techniques of cutting.
ReplyDeleteI only question the form may cause it to be a bit cumbersome when cutting but apart from that I like this product and would buy one if you intended to sell them
I like how you have created a different form for a scalpel so it can be held in different ways to suit the ergonomics of different users. It is very stylish, but the only thing that concerns me is that you said the scapel is targeted to males and females, but the chioce of colour isn't generic to suit both gender. It is more targeted to men? Also can the blade be replaced?
ReplyDeleteAfter fundamental patterns, i must say i learnt the hard way how ergonomically challenged a market-available scalpel are. Its great that someone is designing something specifically for us designers, i see that you have taken a serious amount on your ergonomic consideration into account, the curvature and grip dent seems to be not too defined to allow both gender to use it. and also left-hander friendly from the symmetry of your product, which i find is a very important aspect.
ReplyDeleteas you said the real product would be made out of metal, which is good, cos a little bit of weight will help steady your hand.
the only concern that i have of your scalpel is that it would be a bit difficult to carry around with you due to its organic form.
Displaying the scalpel in a stand on the desk is a great idea, but that limit's the mobility of this tool, say if you wanted to use this in the office AND at home and so on. Besides the stand, maybe a cap for the blade would enable a designer to use the scalpel 'on the go', wherever they need it.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you have chosen to redesign a staple tool for designers, and I fully appreciate the benefits of this design. With the Lamina, I look forward to no more hand cramps, no more force broken handles and no more ruined work!
I had the pleasure of holding your appearance model and its safe to say it felt amazing in my hands ;). The form is great and maximises cutting power and dexterity. One improvement that could be made would be some sort of grip detail where the black part lies for more even more grip. 2 thumbs up !
ReplyDeleteI think your product suits your target market very well and I feel pleasurable when I am holding your product. It suits my hand very well. There are few different ways to hold this product, in any ways it is very comfortable to hold in hand. This product is very simple, but very functional as well. The colour you have chose for your product gives us a very elegant feel. One improvement that could be front of the blade. It would be good if you changing the front blade colour from black to silver. Now, it looks like two separate objects. It would look good if its in one colour.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the general direction of the comments made by our peers above, the scalpel is long due for a redesign and I believe its a great example, I can also imagine this scalpel in a variety of colours, as its shape is whimsical and not sterile like much of the scalpels that are in the markets today. Great work Andrew!
ReplyDeletehi andrew
ReplyDeletei have to say im quite surprised that no one have ever redesigned scalpels befor. so far from what i can see and remember, all the scalpes are literally the same just maybe a stick with rubber grip but otherwise just a stick and a blade.
im very impressed by your design and how you focused very heavily on the ergonomic side of it as we all know holding a scaple for a long time really hurts.
but im most impressed by the fact that your design allows the user to hold the scalpel in 2 different ways giving parts of the hand muscle to rest in turns.
keep up the good job