- Specialist research services
- Museum archives
- Research library
- Photo library
- Preservation and Heritage Management
- Regional programs & services
- Migration Heritage Centre
Breville and Alex Liddy – part of Housewares International
All of us are passionate about products – everyone wants to create the best.
- Keith Hensel, Senior Designer, Breville.
Breville 800 Class Citrus Press,
designed by Breville Design –
Housewares International, 2004.
Courtesy Breville Design –
Housewares International.
The Breville and Alex Liddy brands are owned by the Australian company Housewares International. Breville was founded in Melbourne in 1932 and for over 40 years has been researching and developing new appliances. The homewares design studio was launched in 2003 and creates over 3000 new products a year for a range of brands including Alex Liddy, Mayfair & Jackson, Arcosteel and Baccarat.
Designers in two studios in Botany work with local marketing, sales and engineering staff to create electrical appliances and homewares that are manufactured in Europe and China and sold all over the world.
We are about products that really work but we also want them to be beautiful objects that people are proud to put on their bench.
- Richard Hoare, Design Director, Breville
Video interview - Keith Hensel, senior designer, Breville Design – Housewares International talks about the citrus press project. Requires Quicktime 7 plugin |
 |
Breville 800 Series Citrus Press: model and test it
I suppose the start was we wanted to design the best juicer in the world.
- Keith Hensel, Senior Designer, Breville.
Still image from the 3-D CAD model.
Courtesy Breville Design –
Housewares International.
The days of a drawing board in a design studio are long gone. Products are designed in 3-D on computer, and the data sent to a prototyping machine to produce a one-off for testing. Once the design is finalised the 3-D data is sent to the toolmaker and manufacturer for production.
Designers at Housewares International create all their products this way. 3-D computer files are used to quickly generate prototypes, and sent to manufacturers in Asia for testing and production.
First working prototype of the citrus
press, handmade, 2003.
Courtesy Breville Design –
Housewares International.
The Breville Citrus Press was modelled and tested using a combination of 3-D computer modelling, sketching and hand-made models. Simple cardboard cut-outs were used to test the handle mechanism.
The 3-D computer data was used to make more than 20 prototypes of the juicing cone. These were tested and modified by hand to obtain the perfect shape for juicing all types of citrus fruit. Each prototype was made by a rapid prototyping machine overnight, ready for the designer to test and modify the next day.
I wanted it to say – “You know how to use me straight away without even thinking” – and that was critical as part of the design process for the form.
- Keith Hensel, Senior Designer, Breville.
|
|
Alex Liddy: ‘inspirational looks at affordable prices’
Alex Liddy Beveda mugs,
designed by Housewares
International, 2004. Courtesy
Housewares International.
A team of industrial and graphic designers in the Housewares International studio at Botany work closely with marketing and sales staff to design thousands of homewares each year. Their products include tabletop items for Alex Liddy and Mayfair and Jackson, and cookware for Baccarat and Arcosteel.
Alex Liddy products, including ceramics, glassware and cutlery, are marketed as seasonal fashion collections and 'affordable luxury' items.
Video interview - Kristin Schanche, industrial designer, Housewares International – Homewares talks about designing the Alex Liddy Beveda mugs. |
 |
Links
Breville
Breville 800 Series Citrus Press Australian Design Awards entry
Housewares International
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) rapid prototyping
More information about FDM rapid prototyping
