Lifeart ‘Cardboard’ coffins
Would you answer a message that asked...“Can you improve a product that no-one wants to use?”
I was approached on Linkedin with this odd question that piqued my interest. That’s how I got involved with creating the next generation of ‘cardboard’ coffin as Lifeart embarked on bringing their offering to the UK. As it turned out, these were more than simple ‘cardboard’ coffins...
The design process demanded real attention to detail. I generated multiple iterations of cutter guides to finesse the technical execution of the coffins across 3 sizes.
The level of finish achieved made them almost indistinguishable from real wood coffins - certainly from a distance.
Operating on site, I was tasked with re-engineering the design for strength and efficiency of hand-assembly using materials sourced locally. This required validating through load testing. In the end, a 75kg load resulted in only 2 millimetres of deflection on an open structure!
In addition to the artwork and cutter guides for the coffins, I undertook all aspects of design for the company during the 4-month contract. This included development of the work-flow layout for hand-assembly, design of bespoke work benches, refining the transport trolley design and liaising with 3rd party suppliers on all technical issues. My amendments to the trolley design allowed for the removal of several components and ultimately reduced the unit cost
