What We Delivered
Vapourtec are a world-leading UK manufacturer of laboratory equipment for the pharmaceutical industry. They engaged DesignEdge to design and develop a revolutionary handheld disinfectant sprayer in direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the use of Hypochlorous acid (HClO), a non-toxic disinfectant highly effective at killing germs, bacteria and viruses including Covid. HClO has a relatively short shelf life, however, our expert industrial design team, used its patented flow reactor easy-HC10 to continuously convert mildly salty tap water into this powerful disinfectant. Our challenge was therefore to package this ground breaking technology within an ergonomic, portable, battery-powered and aesthetically appropriate sprayer.
Result
DesignEdge prioritised a unified form factor, and produced a range of industrial design concepts to explore potential product architecture. We continued by developing a selected design through multiple prototypes and into detailed 3D CAD suitable for production tooling. A key area was visually merging the battery, while driving the aesthetics to its homogenised appearance. Similarly the handle is a self-contained element allowing the grip to be fine tuned to maximise user comfort, while attention to detail produced a simple and easy to control interface. easy-HC10’s transformational electrochemical technology and compelling design was recently recognised with the West Suffolk Award for Innovation.
“Hypochlorous acid is a powerful disinfectant which our bodies already use to kill germs. The easy-HC10 instantly produces it from nothing more than tap water and salt, eradicating the need for costly disinfectants. The easy-HC10 means there is no need to buy, store and carry around traditional disinfectant or bleach making savings of 96% compared to NHS-grade disinfectants. The spray rapidly kills germs and viruses, safe to use on solid and fabric surfaces and around people and pets.”
Duncan GuthrieFounder and Managing Director, Vapourtec
Eco-friendly, convenient and cost-effective
The product design merges ergonomics, battery power and easy of use with the latest materials science behind the continuous flow electrochemical cell.
Bright front LED illumination enables the user to see the spray, increasing coverage efficiency, reducing time spent disinfecting and extremely useful in dimly lit applications.
The atomiser sprays a fine mist of hypochlorous acid solution and can dispense up to 7.2 litres of non-toxic disinfectant over a single charge while neutralising odours.
Access panel to the unique, patented micro-Ion™ electrochemical reactor for quick and easy replacement. Its continuous flow can manufacture 1000 litres of disinfectant at a concentration of 150 ppm and even greater volumes at lower concentrations.
Pressing the trigger produces a continuous spray of hypochlorous acid solution, concentrations can be controlled depending on the intensity of disinfection needed making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
easy-HC10 is powered by a replaceable, rechargeable lithium ion battery delivering a 90-minute run time.
easy-HC10 has a large 2 litre reservoir tank allowing a continuous disinfectant spray for 25 minutes without needing a refill. Simply fill with tap water, add 5 grams of salt and give it a shake. The salt solution is pumped from the reservoir into the micro-Ion continuous flow electrochemical cell.
Simple user interface control panel allows selection of the concentration of HClO; 45 ppm free chlorine for food contact, 100 ppm for everyday use and 150 ppm for deep cleaning.