Envie3 | Zach Samalonis

Envie³

The Project

Crane Pumps & Systems has some of the best technology on the market, but the outdated appearance of their pumps led consumers to purchase their competitor’s product. Crane tasked Phase One Design to modernize the aesthetics of the Envie³ pump. I worked within engineering restraints of the pump to create a new form language that Crane would adopt for their next line of sewage pumps.

Client

Crane Pumps & Systems
2020
Completed with Phase One Design

Updated an Outdated Design

Cranes’ existing SH pump was based on a design from 50 years ago. The painted, sand casted iron pump carefully considers the pressures that could build up inside the pump. New technologies allow the pump to shrink in size in certain locations, creating a more efficient pump and opening up the door for new aesthetic changes.

Deconstructing the Pump

We started the project by taking the model Crane’s engineering team assembled and deconstructed it to get familiar with the parts of the pump. Over several discussions, we learned the areas we would be allowed to alter and which areas needed to stay due to engineering constraints.

We identified the jacket (middle), handle (middle), and cap (right) as the main areas of focus.

Sectioning allowed us to see internally how thick and thin we could go

Cap and Handle Exploration

We realized early on that the form of the cap could add a lot of direction to the overall pump, which in its current state felt very flat. While the handle needed to be robust enough to lift the unit, it also was a great opportunity to add a flow to the pump.

We had to work within a tight window. Due to regulation, the cap had to be a certain thickness and the number of bolts couldn’t change.

Justifying the Jacket

Exploring the design of the jacket allowed us to play with the pump’s overall appearance. While Crane ended up going with a straight jacket, the stainless steel appearance with the etched logo modernized the pump.

Straight jacket, with a laser engraved logo; Rolled and welded, ground flush

Straight jacket, with a laser engraved logo; Flaired Cap

Tappered jacket, with a laser engraved logo; Flaired Cap

Rounded Tappered jacket, with a laser engraved logo; Flaired Cap

Round Three

For the final round, Crane picked aspects from each of the designs from the previous rounds that appealed to them. We then took those elements and presented two final concepts.