High-performance vacuum
The project is intended to be the first consumer product mass-produced by SAES for the new B!POD brand. The process generated many engineering and design challenges; all components were redesigned from the inside, starting with the heart of the product: a diaphragm pump capable of reaching 50mbar of pressure in 30 seconds inside a 1.5-liter rigid container. The object encapsulates many aspects of SAES know-how: vacuum systems, gas management, shape memory alloys and materials science.
DRO!D was designed with the goal of "simplifying complexity," so all structural and reinforcement geometries were integrated into the form. The object is designed like an organism, starting from organs to tissues to its shell. The internal skeleton houses all the primary components.The object has no glues or screws, which often contaminate the recycling process, and it is entirely assembled with an interlocking system capable of withstanding large loads.
Vacuum is a delicate process that is influenced by many factors: tightness, power, overheating, weight balance, connection between parts, deformations. Simplifying requires many tests because simulations do not allow all behavior to be analysed. DRO!D is designed, manufactured and assembled in Italy using only components designed by SAES with a zero-kilometer production chain that allows processes to be monitored and emissions to be reduced.
All materials have been chosen and modified to be sustainable and performance-oriented. The inner skeleton is filled with nylon fibers to absorb vibrations from the electric motor. The container caps are a pioneering example of high-thickness Tritan molding that allows for low flexing combined with high elasticity. The shells are made of black ABS for the use of material from recycled sources. The containers are made from a modified PP blend to extend the operating temperature range that has received MOCA certifications.
