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Design Makes a Difference for Hardworking Trucks
9 Sep, 2010 By: Marie VassiliadisEven the most prosaic vehicles benefit from thoughtful conceptualization and extensive clay and CAD modeling.
The polar opposite of sports cars, commercial trucks are common, unglamorous vehicles. In light of this, one might expect truck buyers' purchasing decisions to be based entirely on rational factors, such as fuel consumption, payload, service costs, and transport miles per dollar. Think again: truck design is more important that you may imagine.
At Volvo's design studio, close to 60 people design products for various Volvo companies: Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses, Volvo Construction Equipment, and Volvo Penta. Senior Designer Patrik Palovaara specializes in truck design. His latest creation is Volvo Trucks' new construction truck, the Volvo FMX.
"It's true that truck design is largely about rational factors like aerodynamics and ergonomics," Palovaara said. "But there's also an emotional dimension. The truck's appearance is strongly linked to both its function and its identity and, by extension, to its brand."
Interpretation, Vision, and Form
A truck designer's first challenge in a new project is to interpret the client's requirements and preferences, as well as the results of user studies, to create his or her own vision of the new truck. The designer may draw inspiration from sources such as the animal kingdom, film, fashion, or extreme sports.
During this phase, countless sketches are produced. The designer can give free rein to his or her imagination and challenge traditional concepts of how a truck should look, while remaining realistic.
"When making strategic sketches, I often work with three themes," said Palovaara. "An extreme visionary theme [left], a basic theme [center], and a theme that falls somewhere in between the two [right]."
From drawing to full-scale model. After this initial period of sketching, the team chooses a design theme to develop further. They begin producing CAD models to verify factors such as ergonomics, aerodynamics, and functionality for the new truck.
"Air resistance is of strategic importance because it is critical to fuel consumption," explained Palovaara.
The team includes surface modelers and studio engineers who are responsible for regularly reviewing the design process with Volvo Trucks' production technicians and ergonomics, aerodynamics, and technical design experts. Modelers at the design studio build a full-scale clay model of the new truck that allows everyone involved to follow the verifications made with the CAD model.
A full-scale clay model takes up to a year to build. The frame is made of steel, wood, and expanded polystyrene, and is covered with a 50-mm layer of plastic clay. The surface is covered with a layer of stretch film that produces a varnished appearance.
"Many people only fully realize what the new truck will look like when they see the full-scale model," said Palovaara. "The model provides a reference point for everybody, from Volvo's CEO to tool makers and subcontractors. And many people have their say before the shape, color, and surface of the design are finalized."
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