The Challenge
Several years ago, Wings Product Workshop approached us to help develop a nutcracker that would overcome the inherent challenges of traditional nutcracking alternatives on the market. These included the hand strength required to crack the nut and, of course, shell cleanup.
Design Process
With a functional housewares product like this, durability is key. With this in mind, our industrial designers started exploring different materials without losing site of manufacturing cost constraints. To help deliver a product that would withstand abuse, the team ultimately settled on a polycarbonate shell with stainless steel accents. Polycarbonate provides the required toughness and strength to ensure the proprietary fast sliding thread wouldn’t be comprimised after years of use.
An essential part of the design, the threads enable most shells to be cracked with less than 180 degrees of rotation and greatly reduce the amount of human force required.
Along with the sock absorbing bottom plate, the base plate attached to the center thread is also made out of stainless steel. The compression base provides the necessary cushion for the shell once cracked, thus avoiding the traditional explosion due to the pressure build up.
The result is a nutcracker that’s a pleasure to use and looks great in the process.