2019 D Fantom - Business SA Design for Export Awards
Celebrating
South Australia's
Design-led
Exporters
Celebrating
South Australia's
Design-led
Exporters
Celebrating
South Australia's
Design-led
Exporters
Celebrating
South Australia's
Design-led
Exporters
Main menu:
AWARDS > 2019 Gallery
2019 FINALIST
BUSINESS:
Fantom Hardware PTY. LTD
PRODUCT:
Fantom Doorstop
AWARD CATEGORY:
Product or Service Design
INDUSTRY SECTOR:
Products - Building & Hardware
DESIGN:
Mark Sellar
EXPORTING to:
USA, UK, Ireland, UAE, SE ASIA, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Taiwan, India, South, Korea, Vietnam, Norway.
1: BRIEF DESCRIPTION:
The Fantom Defender combines security, functionality and aesthetics. Using rare-earth magnet technology and a patented sliding system, the Defender can be used to stop intruders from entering your home whilst doubling as a functional, trip-hazard free door stop.
2: CHALLENGE:
Door security hardware is typically either expensive, bulky, aesthetically displeasing or difficult to engage/dis-engage which inherently causes fire safety hazards. When also looking at security hardware that allow's the user to open the door to a 'conversation gap' (such as a sliding door-chain), these are at eye level, generally unsightly and are easily disarmed by the intruder. Challenge - To create a functional door security product that allows for a 'conversation gap', was extremely strong, durable, could not be disarmed by an intruder, was 'single action' (fire compliant) to engage and disengage whilst remaining user friendly, subtle and aesthetically pleasing.
3: DESIGN SOLUTION:
Using an N35 neodymium magnet to activate the floor pins, the defender will engage in 2/25th's of a second, making it completely 'unbeatable' beyond any human generated force. The specially designed sliding housing, coupled with steel locating strips installed within the cover-plate allows the Defender to smoothly slide from 'Security Mode' to Doorstop Mode', self-locating using the magnet and locating strips. The Defender exceeds the design brief by also doubling as a trip-hazard free, hold-open doorstop. Being installed at the foot of the door, means all parts are below eye-level. Creates the desired 'conversation-gap' whilst upholding exceptional security.
4: DESIGN IMPACT:
The Defender is an ideal solution for school classroom door security during crisis situations. Engaged quickly with a single motion and having no parts visible or reachable from the outside, the Defender being used during such crisis situations will save people lives. Commercially speaking, given the Defender is both a door security solution and also a doorstop with hold-open functionality, using this product alleviates the need for up to 3 different pieces of hardware on a single door, making it a highly commercially impactful and viable product in the apartment, hotel, schooling and home construction and design sectors.
5: OTHER KEY FEATURES:
Steel locating strips have been installed inside the body of the cover plate to draw the magnet inside the magnet housing towards them, making the Defender self-locating into either of its two modes, thus creating a highly functional product that is user friendly. The user only needs to push the magnet body in the right direction and the locating strips will do the rest. The stainless steel backing plate has been designed to take high impact during an intruder incident, whilst also being smooth in its sliding functionality and also very user friendly for the installer. To make the product commercially viable, the cover plate is a chrome plated ABS plastic which is then reinforced by designing the SS backing plate to sit directly in behind it, meaning all of the force is transferred onto the SS, leaving the ABS un-damaged and the product cost effective. The floor pins have been designed using a process we call 'over-moulding' which caps the top of the pin in a highly durable clear plastic. This is done to not damage the strike zone upon activation, creating a smooth and quiet activation and deactivation.
