3Form Design (3FD) has unveiled its latest product, a durable woodchipper. Specially designed to navigate sloped and rugged surfaces where other machinery typically struggles, the XR8 Traxion will carry the Först brand.
Integrating hydraulic legs into the design of the vehicle allowed the woodchipper to cope with challenging terrain, such as man-made railway embankments.
Ally Le Sueur, operations manager at 3FD, said, “Any product, it doesn’t matter what it is, has a buyer and so the aesthetics you are applying to the product, even in this niche arena, are critical. Such chipping machines get absolutely hammered in use – but even when the machine gets beaten up and well-used it still has to look good and reflect the brand. It was a great challenge for us to create a product that not only functions extremely well, but also has a strong visual identity.”
The XR8 Traxion also demonstrates 3FD’s highly sought-after approach in combining leading product design, engineering and manufacturing expertise all in-house, as Le Sueur explains: “As with all our work, when designing the XR8 Traxion we kept production and manufacturing in mind right from the beginning of the process. In order to deliver the very best results that excel both in terms of functionality and aesthetics, and achieve these as quickly and efficiently as possible, the design process was purely digital. From first concepts to final artwork we design in CAD and with computer simulation so we develop concepts that we know can be manufactured and will work.”
January 12, 2018
