JOVIBowl

This project began after returning from the vet with a beloved pet ensconced in a protective cone. Our client noticed his dog couldn’t drink from his water bowl, with the protective cone bumping the dish out of reach. Fortunately, our client had access to a woodworking resources and an elevated bowl holder was soon lathed out of wood.

The dog took an immediate liking to the DIY solution. With the bowl suspended in the air, he could reach into the bowl without cone interference. Our client realized he had discovered an unmet need that other folk in the same situation could benefit from.

He decided to chat with MID about refining his invention so that it could be mass produced as a consumer product. First, we walked him through the whole process: Concept Design, Design Execution, Engineering & Prototype, and finally Branding, Packaging and Graphics. MID assigned an industrial designer and engineer to the project, and they studied the wooden prototype and how best to optimize it for mass-manufacturing.

While the wood study model served its purpose, there were a few things that required engineering before translation into injection molded plastic. First, pets use a lot of downward force when feeding, and can push and shove aggressively at the bowl. We determined the articulating arm that supported the bowl had to be easily adjustable for setting the ideal height-to-pet ratio, then tightened to rock solid stability in the desired position. This was done with stainless steel fittings adjusted with a small wrench conveniently stored in the base.

MID designers further developed the JOVIBowl to be streamlined in appearance, for styling and ease of cleaning, and cost effective for manufacturing, assembly and shipping. The wooden solution had too many components, so during this process part optimization was undertaken by MID to keep costs in control.

Minimal parts mean less cost, less inventory, packaging, efficient assembly and most beneficial of all, less volume in waste materials if products are discarded and not recycled. Material selection was prioritized towards recyclable, sustainable materials, and the design executed to reduce complexity.

Several preliminary color photorealistic renderings of the proposed design, depicted in injection molded plastic with a replaceable stainless steel bowl, were presented for our client to review. He immediately zeroed in on his favorite and the selected direction was finalized in SolidWorks CAD, and a full scale mock up printed and assembled in-house for testing and evaluation. This was a preliminary prototype that looked and worked like the real thing. However, for practical purposes of cost and timing, prototypes usually do not use production materials.

The client, or more accurately his dog, used the articulated pet bowl for a week. Client and pet unanimously agreed the new design a success and final engineering CAD was executed.