Redefining a power-tool brand for the home cleaning category
Services
- Ergonomic design
- Rapid prototyping
- Interface design
- Aesthetic refinement
- 3D modelling
- Concept generation
Sector
- consumer
Client
Rapid, a Swedish brand within ACCO, is known for fastening and power-tool products with a strong, industrial visual brand language. To enter the home cleaning category, they partnered with OPD to redesign an existing OEM-powered brush into a product suited to domestic environments - without changing its internal architecture.
Rapid’s ambition was clear: move from power-tool heritage into a softer, consumer-facing home category.
The starting point was a Chinese OEM electronic cleaning brush. Functionally viable, but aesthetically crude and ergonomically unresolved. The internal architecture was fixed - including a single-piece moulded body, end cap, and head interface - placing tight constraints on what could be altered.
Rapid wanted:
- A new visual brand language distinct from their traditional navy/yellow aesthetic
- A softer, more homely form suitable for kitchens and bathrooms
- A device that could stand upright independently
- Improved ergonomics for prolonged grip and forceful scrubbing
- A minimal, intuitive interface
The challenge was not to redesign the mechanics - but to intelligently re-skin the architecture, elevate usability, and deliver a manufacturable A-surface solution within existing tooling constraints.
We began by importing the OEM device CAD and physically evaluating the unit in-house. Using the product revealed key issues around balance, grip comfort, and the inability to stand upright - all critical for domestic use.
Working within the constraints of a fixed architecture, we launched a broad sketch phase. Although constrained by the requirement for a one-piece body moulding and the necessary draft limitations, we explored new styling strategies and softer volumes to shift the product away from the existing Rapid “power tool” visual brand language towards a more home friendly aesthetic as this product was to be a venture into a new product category for Rapid.
Selected concepts were refined further before moving into surface modelling in SolidWorks and ergonomic model evaluation.
Ergonomic Engineering & Form Validation
This product would require controlled force application during use to assist cleaning stubborn dirt on surfaces. Users must be able to comfortably grip it for extended periods while applying downward pressure when scrubbing.
We explored multiple handle strategies to make this as ergonomic as possible:
• Straight vertical orientation
• Slight rearward angle
• Rear-offset angled handle
A number of handle profiles and cross sections were developed for ergonomic testing. These were rapidly prototyped using 3D printing, weighted to simulate the true weight balance, and evaluated in-hand amongst a variety of users to establish the favoured shapes and sizes. After testing, the favoured handle profile was refined further and retested to create the final ergonomic profile and ensure greatest comfort of the final product.
Because the project was delivered remotely with Rapid’s Swedish team, prototypes were shipped for collaborative review and testing. Iterative refinements adjusted handle proportions and balance until we achieved stability, comfort, and upright standing capability.
CMF & Sustainability Strategy
Rapid’s move into the domestic home market demanded a shift in tone. We conducted a focused market review of domestic cleaning products and emerging colour trends.
Early proposals ranged from Rapid’s traditional blue/yellow for reference to warmer whites and a mix of metallic and non-metallic finishes. However, to maximise sustainability and cost efficiency, we avoided paint, coatings, and over-moulding.
Instead, we used:
• Native plastic finishes
• Subtle texture breaks
• Surface detailing to create visual interest
Interface & Simplicity
The UI was deliberately minimal:
• Trigger-based activation
• Three-speed progression (low / medium / high)
• LED indicator displaying speed and battery life
We explored alternative switch strategies but retained the trigger configuration as the most intuitive and mechanically coherent solution.
The final CMF direction was a soft “coffee” neutral tone - paired with pastel-coloured interchangeable bristle heads. This allowed task differentiation (e.g. bathroom vs kitchen) while maintaining a calm, unobtrusive core product.
The final product demonstrates how strategic industrial design can transform constrained OEM products and architectures into a unique, refined, consumer-ready product.
Key achievements include:
- Improved ergonomic comfort and controlled force application
- Optimised weight balance for ergonomics and standing stability
- Refined A-surface design within strict manufacturing limitations
- Sustainable CMF execution without secondary coatings
- A new aesthetic direction supporting Rapid’s category expansion
test
More broadly, the project highlights OPD’s ability to:
• Re-skin OEM platforms into unique, differentiated branded products
• Create innovative design with fixed mechanical architectures
• Resolve ergonomic challenges through rapid prototyping and testing
• Deliver production-ready A-surface CAD with DFM foresight
• Collaborate internationally through remote development
For Rapid, this marks a strategic step into the consumer home space. For OPD, it reinforces our capability to blend design, engineering, and manufacturing intelligence - even when the constraints are already set before our engagement.
Working within a fixed OEM architecture forced us to be intelligent with every surface and split line. Through ergonomic prototyping and careful A-surface control, we turned a crude starting point into a product ready for the consumer market.”
