Lionic Firewall
LionFilter 200
Secure. Fast. Protection.
Delicate Metal Box
Design Goal
When designing this product, the client's expectation was to create a high-quality, light-toned, premium product while minimizing the use of plastic parts and prioritizing the metal bending process. This challenge sparked my creative exploration of both design details and CMF. I chose a rare four-rounded-corner design, combined with polished aluminum feet, to give the product a distinct and elegant aesthetic. Additionally, I applied a refined pearl paint finish across all surfaces, achieving a luxurious texture that gained high praise from the client and successfully moved into mass production.
Throughout the design process, I collaborated closely with mechanical engineers to evaluate the feasibility of metal corner bending and ensure DFM alignment. By integrating industrial design creativity with production oversight, I was able to enhance the product’s market value while ensuring both visual appeal and manufacturing feasibility.
Focus on CMF
Design Develoment
Breaking away from the same product category, I explored inspiration across diverse fields—business computer cases, server chassis, watches, and even water bottles. This broad research fueled the development of CMF ideas, bringing fresh possibilities to this product. By focusing on emotional resonance, I selected materials and textures with a refined tactile quality. Even drew inspiration from the PET film techniques used in smartphone back covers, blending craftsmanship with innovation. Gradually refining and focusing ideas from a realm of boundless creativity.
Try Different Design Elements Combination
Narrow Down The Design
The final design was narrowed down to three versions, each distinguished primarily by its disassembly method. The disassembly approach directly influenced the appearance and was paired with various CMF treatments such as spray painting, screen printing, stamping, and laser engraving to create diverse combinations. I also explored and experimented with venting hole designs, and ultimately, the client selected proposal C as the final choice.
Although the client found the design highly creative, they ultimately decided to eliminate the decorative perforations to reduce costs and debranding for selling to other companies. Key elements such as the rounded corners, front panel, and aluminum base were retained. After several rounds of revisions, the final design was approved.
From Concept to Mass Production
Design for Manufacturability
Responsible for collaborating with mechanical engineers on DFM to ensure design modifications do not significantly impact the appearance. The challenge is especially evident with the metal bending of the four rounded corners, where simplifying it to a two-piece design results in noticeable gaps. Therefore, my task is to minimize the visible gaps as much as possible.
CMF and Cosmetic Quality Control
Following the start of Tooling, I'm tasked with reviewing and tracking all ID/CMF elements for plastic and galvanized steel parts. This includes fine-tuning powder coating colors, refining textures, controlling glossiness, and managing assembly gap/step precision.
