CAD-model created by Filip Kristoffersson. Renderings made by Filip Kristoffersson and Amanda Petri.

Redesign of Maxivent Air Purifier

Maxivent Luftrenare is an air purifier made by the company ÅSS Processventilation. It has looked the same since the 90’s when it was released on the market. Maxivent Luftrenare has now been replaced with a newer version called Maxivent EC. Before the release of the new Maxivent EC we had the opportunity to give Maxivent a complete makeover.

A user-centered design process was applied during the project. Sketches and prototypes were used to test and visualise ideas. The concepts were continuously evaluated together with the company and the users to fulfill needs from both sides. We designed Maxivent EC to fit in a variety of settings which hopefully paves the way for entering new markets. Maxivent EC was released 2023.

Full Bachelor Thesis is available in Swedish »Here«

More information about the released Maxivent EC »Here«

Type of project
Bachelor thesis project

When

Jan 2021 – June 2021

Team members

Filip Kristoffersson, Ebba Lindberg, Lisa Möller, Amanda Petri, Wiktoria Wikmark

My contribution

Research, design, prototyping, evaluation, supervisor contact

Methods

Survey, interviews, KJ-analysis, braindrawing, prototyping, etc.

Tools & Techniques

Fusion 360, KeyShot, etc.

Project Process

The project process can be described as being based on four phases, beginning with research and ending with a final product. The picture below shows the process for the project. We had an iterative approach for the process, visualized by the circles. This allowed us to move back and forth between the different phases. Some activities were repeated for elaboration and improvement. The process was also somewhat linear since we had limited time and a clear goal.

Maxivent Luftrenare - The Previous Model

How it works

Maxivent Luftrenare is purifying air indoors, and usually mounted in the ceiling. It is made of chipboard and metal. The air enters through the bottom grid, passes through three filters, and exits through the top grid.

The coarse filter captures the biggest particles, the activated carbon filter reduces odor, while the HEPA-filter can capture 99,98& of the aerosol particles. The activated carbon filter and the HEPA-filter are placed in the same component (filter component).

It has two fans driven by an AC-motor. The fans and the motor are placed in the same component (fan component). The motor is regulated by a wall-mounted transformer with a rotary switch.

Replacement of filters

For optimal performance the coarse filter requires replacement once a year, and the filter component every other year. Replacement of filter component is usually done by ÅSS’s service team while the coarse filter is usually replaced by the users.

To replace the coarse filter the user has

to loosen four screws which release the bottom grid. The coarse filter can be found laying on the bottom grid. To replace the filter component the user has to unclasp two hooks on each side. By rotating the two hooks in opposite directions the filter component will be released.

The Design Challenges

We conducted a survey and did in-depth interviews with handicraft teachers, being the primary users of Maxivent Luftrenare since the air purifier is most commonly found in schools in textile crafting and woodworking environments..

Replacing filter is a time consuming and uncomfortable process

A major issue we discovered was that the process of replacing filters was slow and not ergonomic. The difficulty was to support the bottom grid and at the same time loosen four screws while making sure nothing falls down. Since Maxivent Luftrenaren is mounted high up in the ceiling it makes eventual falling parts becomes more dangerous. On the other hand, one of the users said:

“I have no idea how I would be able to do it if I were alone in the classroom, standing on a stool and it has four screws.”

An important requirement was that the filters had to fit both Maxivent EC and Maxivent Luftrenare due to inventory management and the two models being out on the market at the same time.

It was not the most aesthetically beautiful piece in the room

In a survey we asked users to describe Maxivent Luftrenare with three words. The three most common words were “square”, “big”, and “clumsy”. User said that they prefer the air purifier to be blended into the environment, with the ceiling and Maxivent Luftrenare having the same white colour. However, one user said:

“It is important that it is visible since it has an important function.”

This was more in line with ÅSS’s preferences because Maxivent is their marketing centerpiece for the company. Since Maxivent Luftrenare has looked the same for 30 years, we wanted the redesign to look classic and stay relevant for 30 more years. ÅSS wished Maxivent EC to enter new markets in the future, such as office environments, this we took into consideration as well.

Early ideas and prototyping

We ideated new aesthethics and alternative ways to replace filters. When designing the aesthetics we took inspiration from products such as Stanley thermos, the bumper of Land Rover and Sonos Connect. They all had the kind of classic design that we wanted to achieve. We discussed how to replace the bottom grid and the four screws. We tried lying the coarse filter on a grid that can be pushed in and out like an oven tray. We also suggested replacing it with a rotating bottom part.

To make the redesign lighter and less box-like we thought of ways how to actually reduce its dimensions and round its corners. But we also thought of ways how to increase the feeling of roundness, by implementing interesting lines with directions that lead users’ attention away from the square shape. We questioned the height of the filter component. It turned out that a big part of it consisted of air without any function. This resulted in the new filter component’s height being reduced by almost 50%.

We created many different models out of foam boards. Some models were made for testing the function only, while others were made for visualisation purpose only. We tried out different techniques such as kerfing, laser cutting, 3D-printing, and CNC milling. By using the technique “Kerf Bending”, we cut multiple close set grooves which allowed us to bend the wood. The rounded corners made the redesign feel less box-like. By doing laser cutting we could try out how different patterns on the top grid would look like.

Maxivent EC - the redesign

Maxivent EC has undergone many changes compared to Maxivent Luftrenare. It has been equipped with new materials and has a new form. The top part is made of medium density fiberboard (MDF) instead of chipboard, since MDF is suitable for kerf bending.

The top grid is now placed next to the fan component instead of above it. This together with the reduced height of the filter component reduce the overall height of Maxivent EC significantly, reducing the boxy appearance. The hooks for holding the filter component have been replaced with ledges. The ledges support the tabs of the filter component. The four screws have been replaced with hinges to simplify filter replacement.

With interesting and diagonal parting lines striving upwards, the air purifier feels lighter and more discrete. The company’s logo can be found on the grids. The product logo “Maxivent EC” has the same font as the current model. But for the redesign, the logo has grey letters with bigger spacing in order to give it a more simplistic, modern and airy impression.

Expression Board

The aesthethics of Maxivent EC was inpired by the expression board to the left. We chose a peace lily as a metaphor for air purifier, because plants are the real air purifiers of nature. The chosen materials are different kinds of metal, being both neat and durable.

As form we chose a rounded architectural building since it had interesting lines and silhouettes. The same kind of lines can be found in Maxivent EC’s parting lines and grid cuttings. The colour palette is cold and neutral, including a more vivid orange as accent colour for contrast and attention. The orange colour is suitable for details and product advertising purposes.

Three colour choices

The white colour choice was created to blend in white dropped ceiling common in school enviroments. It stays discrete among surrounding tools and machines. When asking people about different colour combinations it turned out that the white version was the most liked. In ÅSS’s graphic profile manual it says “the light colour stands for pure air and healthy workplace” which relates to the purpose of the air purifyer.

A blue and metal coated colour choice was made especially for office settings. This colour choice is supposed to pop and be a statement piece in the room. The dark grey colour choice was made to fit into heavy industry. The dark colours give the impression of a durable product.

Replacement of filters

To change filters the user has to push the lock to the side. This will open the bottom grid. The coarse filter can be found laying on the bottom grid. The filter component is released by pulling it out in a horizontal direction towards the user.

Further development

Production and manufacturing of the new design was still a challenge, being more time consuming which made it difficult to scale. It is necessary to test the redesign as a whole, with real users. We only tested the redesign without electronics. Therefore, we do not know how the redesign will be affected when there is heavy airflow. Its ability to capture particles as well as noise level could also be affected. However, ÅSS was very satisfied with the results, especially the visual expression, saying that the design exceeded their expectations. Two of my teammates continued to work at ÅSS after the project, with developing Maxivent EC to make it scalable and ready for release.

Release

In May 2024 I randomly entered ÅSS’s website and saw that they have now released Maxivent EC. I can see that minor changes have been made compared to when I worked on it, but the expression is the same. It looks dope! It is an amazing feeling to have been part of something that is now realised and out on the market. Have a look at the new, real Maxivent EC below.