2015 Galleries

The Spark Gallery pages are one of our most popular design destinations, with thousands of visitors each year. Check out some of the latest Spark entries, in the galleries below.

IRS-25

Winner - Bronze

Competition: Spark:Concept
Designer: Sebastian Gier
Design Type: Industrial Machine
Company / Organization / School: UmeƄ Institute of Design
Website: http://sebastiangier.com

IRS-25 is a concept that tackles efficiency and experience issues of todays Rockbreaker machines. These machines break large rocks for better transport and moving them on a grid so that they can fall though. Since this is one of the most important points in the production, time efficiency is the most essential factor. But when the operator is trying to hit the rocks with the breaker tool to crush them, they often slip away. The ground and the rock geometry make it hard to hit them correct. This concept gives the user the opportunity to stabilise the rock by putting force on the rock with a simple claw which is attached at the breaker. This also reduces damages when moving rocks on the grid. Hydraulic Breakers are not designed for horizontal forces but the operators are using them for this task to save time. The claw protects the tool and reflects the forces to the strong main body of the machine which increase dramatically the lifespan of the hydraulic breaker while reduce costs of maintenance and production stops.