Case study

Challenge

• Our customer was looking for a supplier to help add haptic feedback to their new range of high grade consumer vapes.
• The customer’s contract manufacturer was proposing another supplier at the beginning of the project, but the end customer chose us because of our engineering expertise.
• Given the nature of the product there were demanding drop tests that our vibration motor had to pass.
• Like many consumer products, cost was important and we had strict targets to meet.

Solution

• Our team of application engineers worked with the end customer and their contract manufacturer to adapt an existing LRA vibration motor design.
• We also offered our recommended application design for driving the LRA which the client adopted for, implementing crisp haptic feedback into the vape.
• We adapted the motor connection to use a flexible PCB which helped the contract manufacturer to significantly reduce the assembly time of the haptic feedback module.

Results

• The contract manufacturer was proposing an alternative supplier (related to them) that was cheaper.
• However the customer wanted engineering support, and insisted that the contract manufacturer used parts supplied by us.
• During testing, the construction of our LRA solution proved to be much more robust compared to the other suppliers, surpassing the customer’s expectations, and passing health and safety regulations. 
• We were chosen as the preferred supplier and moved with them into mass production.

STAGE 1

Designing for application

• Our customer desired a more crisp and sophisticated haptics feel than a classic vibration alert for their top of the market vape.
• Due to the compact nature of the device and nature of the product, the solution had to be small, powerful, robust and surpass stringent drop testing. 
• Linear Resonant Actuators (LRAs) support more complex waveforms conveying more detailed and delicate tactile information rather than traditional vibration alerting. 
• Cost was very important in this project and the customer wanted to make assembly easy for the contract manufacturer.

STAGE 2

Precision solution

• Our engineers presented a solution to be tested alongside other suppliers. 
• After undergoing rigorous testing, the construction of our LRA solution proved to be much more robust compared to other suppliers products. This made the customer approve our LRA to go to production. 
• To aid with the assembly time, we designed-in a connection using a flexible PCB which helped the customer to reduce the assembly time considerably.

STAGE 3

Results and relationship

• We worked with our customer and listened to their requirements, designing a new piece of technology at the right price.
• We managed their risk throughout the project and reduced the assembly time, and therefore the cost of the project, whilst still delivering a high-value reliable product.