MakerBot
Peloton Exercise bike
Peloton's modern approach to exercise has heads turning in the fitness and lifestyle market, and so Peloton have needed to increase production and decrease downtime.
A start-up which brings exercise bike classes into the users’ own home has adopted MakerBot 3D printing technology to step up production and fend off competitors.
Peloton first introduced its sleek, silent exercise bike, able to livestream classes via Wi-Fi connection, in 2014. Earlier this month at CES, Peloton unveiled an all-new commercial bike and content platform. This modern approach to exercise has heads turning in the fitness and lifestyle market, and so Peloton has needed to increase production and decrease downtime.
To speed up design cycles and cost-effectively prototype many smaller components on the new bike, Peloton’s industrial design team turned to MakerBot’s 3D printing solutions. In total, 20 different parts of the bike were printed on the MakerBot Replicator (5th Gen), and later a MakerBot Replicator+ was added to the start-up’s range. The 3D printers allowed any member of the design team to walk in to the workspace and immediately begin manufacturing parts.
From the start of development at the end of 2015, through to 2016, the industrial design team printed over a hundred iterations for 20 parts. Using MakerBot 3D printers, Peloton have saved around $20,000 and months in time compared to using a service bureau. Typically, Peloton have relied on the latter to prototype larger parts or components made in higher-end materials.
MakerBot
Peloton Exercise Bike resistance knob
As the ‘touchpoint of the brand’, and potentially the most used piece of hardware, the design team wanted to ensure the resistance knob was the most beautiful element.
Yet, by iterating with a MakerBot 3D printer, the team were able to get instant feedback with every new design at just a dollar a prototype, and make changes accordingly and swiftly. With more traditional methods, Peloton would have to wait up to a week for parts to come back from a service supplier. The team could also verify the size, scale and ergonomics of these parts with enough confidence to decide when each design was ready for production.
The key component of Peloton’s, a bright red resistance knob, determines the level of resistance during a workout. Less resistance being better for sprinting, while higher resistance simulates riding uphill. As the ‘touchpoint of the brand’, and potentially the most used piece of hardware, the design team wanted to ensure it was the most beautiful element.
With the help of the MakerBot Replicator, Peloton was able to rapidly and efficiently finalise the design. The knob’s design started with drawings in Illustrator or CAD. Then, Nigel Alcorn, one of Peloton’s Industrial Designers, modelled the designs in SOLIDWORKS, before printing the designs on the MakerBot Replicator. Designing the right form and shape for the knob was also of paramount importance to the design team. Since users will need to frequently grip and adjust it during classes, being able to iterate with precision and accuracy was a big advantage for Peloton.
MakerBot
Peloton Exercise Bike parts
In addition to the resistance-altering knob, most, if not all, of the plastic parts were prototyped on a MakerBot, including levers, the weight holders, water bottle holder and a hub inside the wheel.
Iterating over 36 times, the designers experimented with eight and six-sided forms, tried a base-cap structure, before eventually struck upon an elegant design with three valleys and three peaks. With this design, the knob accounts for users who will subtly turn the hand or hit it with force to drastically alter the resistance. Alcorn, who enjoys the free-flowing control of modelling with foam board, prefers the precision of 3D printing when iterating on very similar designs.
“I can make a really educated comparison between two models that have a single feature that’s different by a millimetre,” said Alcorn.
In addition to the resistance-altering knob, most, if not all, of the plastic parts were prototyped on a MakerBot, including levers, the weight holders, water bottle holder and a hub inside the wheel. The team were also able to verify the feel, snap, and function of a specific tolerance for a part, especially if that part was going to fit in an assembly.
Before Peloton, those wanting to get fit had to choose between a gym membership, attending classes or working out from home. Now, the start-up has brought all three options into one machine, creating an entirely new model for instructor-based exercise. And with the help of MakerBot, is stopping its competitors in their tracks.
