news & blueViews

Blown Away
20 August 2004

Recently JD MacDonald launched their latest range of hand-dryers. This is the third dryer CobaltNiche has developed for JD MacDonald.

These Australian made and developed hand-dryers exceed the functionality and specification of heavy-weight European and American models. According to JD Macdonald marketing director, Val Collins, “architects appreciate the new design, both for its appearance and performance”. The new JD Macdonald Autobeam and Touchdry series are now being installed in public restrooms in stadiums, airports and restaurants throughout Australia. This re-designed model has been an instant best-seller; doubling the sales of the preceding, square 1980’s version.

The biggest technical advance was increasing the level of ingress protection (i.e. water resistance). “IPX2 is as good as any other available dryer achieves. Our challenge was to raise this to IPX3. In a real-world context this waterproofs the hand-dryer against over-zealous cleaners who may inadvertently spray water over the top, sides and front the unit. In contrast IPX2 only resists dripping water from overhead” says CobaltNiche’s director, Steven Martinuzzo.

Benefits designed-into the new dryer include; improved sensor orientation to make activation intuitive and ergonomic; improved aerodynamics to increase warm-air flow; the ability to change the nozzle from fixed to swiveling at installation; and flush surfaces to resist dirt build-up.

The striking curvaceous nozzle was deliberate. According to Martinuzzo “users want to dry their hands, not work out how to use a hand-dryer! We wanted the dryer to be inherently intuitive, so we made the nozzle obvious, and placed the button and sensors exactly where users expect them to be”.

The project to develop the new hand-dryer was “a classic piece of industrial design. From our starting point of a proven and mature mechanism we applied good design principles to improve the product for all stakeholders; the manufacturer, building operators and of-course users like you and me” says Martinuzzo.