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Mopar JK-8 Jeep Top

MOPAR JK-8 JEEP TOP

Design of the Jeep Truck For years loyal Jeep fans have been awaiting a truck version of the Wrangler. Mopar, the performance parts division of Chrysler, decided to do just that and created a Jeep truck conversion kit. The kit can be retrofitted on any 2011 or newer Jeep either by a dealer, customization shop, or by the end user.   Tangent’s role in the kit project was to reproduce the hard top for the passenger compartment utilizing the same assembly technique as the OEM factory hard top. It also needed to be compatible with the factory Freedom tops that were also packaged with the kit. Working with Mopar engineering, Tangent designers were able to obtain the OEM top CAD data and use it as a starting point for generating the new top. Tangent was able to create the new top Class A CAD data and work with the supplier to make sure it...

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Fleetwood Excursion Exterior

FLEETWOOD EXCURSION EXTERIOR

Recreational Fun Fleetwood is a long-standing recreational vehicle brand that has been at the forefront of the industry for several generations. They are a leading manufacturer of Class A and Class C coaches based in Decatur Indiana. When Fleetwood decided to build a new Class A Diesel product, Tangent was brought in to work with Fleetwood’s development team to bring a fresh look to the exterior. Drawing on automotive influences Tangent developed a form language that is contemporary yet comfortable to the target demographic.   Tangent designers worked through several 2D designs prior to developing all of the class A CAD surfacing for the front and rear caps and access doors. Tangent was able to coordinate with various Fleetwood suppliers to integrate components ranging from lights, windshield, and cooling package radiators early on in the CAD process. This enabled a reduced development time in which the first prototype was ready for its unveiling...

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BraunAbility Honda Odyssey Interior

HONDA ODYSSEY INTERIOR

BraunAbility Auto Interior Transformation BraunAbility are the mobility transportation experts and have been for over 40 years. They are the leader and offer the most variety in wheelchair accessible products in their industry.   BraunAbility being the industry leader realized that in order to stay on top they needed some help to stay there. They saw Tangent as an outside consulting group that could assist in helping them with that goal. We were able to evaluate their existing products and identify “areas of improvement”. Top priority was to make their consumer conversion products look and feel more automotive OEM quality.   Tangent had used the 2011 Honda Odyssey as the pilot platform to implement the interior improvements. The vehicle was laser scanned to accurately capture floor modifications and develop all the new plastic components in 3D CAD. The design team at Tangent worked with Braun’s engineering and assembly groups as well as their suppliers to...

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Swingline Stack And Shred

SWINGLINE AUTO SHREDDER

Product Family   Swingline is a division of ACCO Brands Corporation. ACCO Brands is one of the world’s largest producers of branded office products. Swingline itself has a long history of making quality innovative stapling products for nearly a century and is considered the stapler of choice by many.   ACCO Brands had developed an innovative new shredding technology and wanted to build a line of shredders around their Swingline brand that utilized this technology. Tangent worked jointly with ACCO Brands development team to create a line of products that communicated the Swingline brand, showcasing the new shredding technology as well as its new intuitive user interface.   There are five products in the line and Tangent designers worked through 2D development phase as well as developing the final 3D CAD control surface to keep a consistent, identifiable branded family form language.   Photos courtesy of Acco Brands...

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Dockclip Marine Cable Organizer

DOCKCLIP MARINE CABLE ORGANIZER

Foot Friendly.   Dockclip is a product brand dedicated to smart, simple solutions for the marine industry. The debut product secures shore power cords and water hoses safely to the dock. They are made of high strength; thermoplastic elastomer formulated specifically for use in a marine environment and is very durable with resistance to sun, salt water, and fuels.   This product was developed entirely by Tangent. From the concept and CAD development, to researching and sourcing tooling and molding vendors here in the USA, Tangent managed it. Even the branding and packaging was created in house by our design team.   Now available at Dockclip.com, Amazon.com, and select retailers in the West Michigan area....

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Cortech Razorback Chair

CORTECH RAZORBACK CHAIR

Extreme load capacity for extreme environments. Cortech is an emerging leader in providing product solutions for the correctional environment. The primary goal of every product they sell and manufacture is to contribute to a safe and humane work environment for correctional and other intensive use institutions.   Cortech teamed up with Tangent to develop a chair that would be rugged enough to withstand the abuse of tough correctional environments. Working with structural engineers, tool designers, and material specialists, Tangent provided a solution that is a one-piece injection molded plastic design. It efficiently nests and stacks and is nearly unbreakable.   It also passed all of the required ASTM tests for its class. Other industrial design features include anti-lean back rear legs, non-slip seat surface texture, and intuitive hand grab relief areas for ease of stacking and un-stacking....

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KLAASP Stemware Protection

KLAASP STEMWARE PROTECTION

Designing Cleaner Stemware For a true wine connoisseur stemware can make all the difference when experiencing the flavors and aromas of ones favorite vintage. High-end stemware can be no small investment. Unfortunately, quality glass stemware is often too fragile for a dishwasher and very difficult to clean by hand. The result is a cabinet full of expensive unused stemware. The KLAASP was developed to safely clean fine stemware in the dishwasher. It was designed to work with any glass size up to the largest Riedel® and Waterford® glasses. The glass is safely held in place by flexible rubber components with a surrounding coated wire enclosure and easily fits the bottom rack of a dishwasher. KLAASP holds the glass in the optimum position above the water jets so the glass comes out sparkling clean....

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Equipment Technologies Apache Sprayer

EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGIES APACHE SPRAYER

Tractor Industrial Design for Farmers Equipment Technologies is the largest independently owned manufacturer of self propelled sprayers in North America. Equipment Technologies’ mission is to produce the most rugged, reliable, and affordable sprayers available to growers and applicators. Tangent was brought in to style and design the engine shrouding for Equipment Technologies’ line of Apache Sprayers. They were developing an all-new Apache line and wanted the exterior styling to reflect the high-tech advancements and innovation they were making under the hood. Our designers worked with Equipment Technologies’ engineers to make sure style was contemporary while addressing the functionality concerns such as assembly, easy field maintenance, and adequate cooling airflow during operation.   Photos courtesy of Equipment Technologies...

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Circle Bowling Footware

CIRCLE BOWLING FOOTWARE

Bowling Shoe Design that Strikes Out In recent years bowling is making a surge back to popularity with the recreational bowling crowd. Bowling centers have been springing up that cater to the “Cocktail Bowler”. These centers noticeably focus their décor, food, and drinks at an upscale market. Observing the emergence of these new niche markets, Circle Athletics worked with us to design new lines of bowling footwear that would be desirable to the upscale bowler. Showcased here are two product lines. One is the Elite and the other is the Sport. The Elite styling positions the line to fill a premium-level niche in the recreational bowling segment. Conservative dark colors combined with genuine leathers provide an appearance of business casual street shoes but have the slide-sole of a bowling shoe. The Sport styled shoe is designed for the segment that prefer an athletic contemporary style. Materials and colors common in running and outdoor footwear...

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Scion XB Spoiler

SCION REAR SPOILER

Vehicle personalization. One of the hottest trends in the automotive industry is vehicle personalization. Scion, Toyota’s youth marketed brand, has made it their mission to become the vehicle of choice for owner expression through factory approved customizing accessories. Argue Automotive Accessories, a tier one supplier to Toyota, worked with us to design and develop spoilers for two new Scion models. The rear hatch spoilers we developed are available as factory optional accessories for the 2008 Scion XB and XD models. Utilizing 3D chassis data supplied by Scion, the spoiler was designed, 3D modeled, prototyped and ready for production in time for the vehicles’ launch. The second generation Scion XB and newly designed XD were officially debuted at the 2007 Chicago International Auto Show. Photos courtesy of Toyota Scion...

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