Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Gazelle!

Gazelle is a leading manufacturer and supplier of bicycles for worldwide markets and Bedfordshire-based Product Partners is a well known UK design consultancy with a keen eye for ‘green’ projects.

When Gazelle required a control interface for its new E Bike electric powered bicycle it created an expert team of designers, engineers and display specialists to design, develop, manufacture and supply a turnkey control panel. The development team included Product Partners, chosen for its creative design and development experience and expert knowledge of ‘design for plastics’ and GPEG, which was chosen for its LCD expertise and proven, low cost manufacturing base.

The result was a control panel comprising a docking station, securely fixed to the handle bars and a removable, take anywhere, electronics pod. The removable concept provides security, not just for the pod but also for the bike as a whole, as the bike is inoperable without the pod interface.

Product Partners used its mobile phone design and development experience to detail the thin plastic wall sections, sculpting the enclosure around the miniature electronics and LCD to maintain the required aesthetic and compact design. Minute gaskets, compressed by plastic thread-forming screws, provide the necessary ingress protection expected of an outdoor pursuit electrical product. In fact the device is designed to meet an IP65 rating.

One particular challenge was to sculpt the casing in a way that belied the very linear internal electronics underneath and this was only achieved by extremely close collaboration between all the parties involved, something that Paul Neal, director of Product Partners, describes as ‘pure teamwork’.

Comprising 16 individual plastic components the polymer selection encompasses PC/ABS alloys, PC, PP and silicone. Some of the mouldings are self-coloured, benefiting from in-mould spark eroded 25VDI textures whilst others are ‘silver-paint’ coated.

The concept of an ‘E Bike’ fits well with Product Partners’ sustainable design values. This product is a part motorised, part human-powered bike producing zero CO₂ emissions. It enabled Product Partners to integrate a green product design strategy into its overall product development plan. All enclosure component materials were specially selected and the individual parts are easily dismantled and identified for recycling.

Regarding rapid prototyping, two sets of SLAs were produced to prove the developing design. The first set was used as a ‘first-pass’ assessment of the mechanical assembly and the resulting impact on the aesthetic appearance. Results were fed back into the design process and when complete a definitive set of SLAs were produced to accompany the CAD data for use as a 3D visual reference by the toolmaker.

The Plastics Industry Awards 2005 Consumer Product Design winner, Pedalite, was Product Partners’ first bicycle product design. Since then it has designed a number of plastic bicycle products, culminating in the ‘E Bike’ control panel for Gazelle.