Before joining Whirlpool as the chief home-appliance designer, Patrick Schiavone oversaw Ford North America’s car designs for many years. He was credited with the design of the iconic 1994 Ford Mustang and the eleventh-generation Ford F-150 - the best selling truck in the world.
After shopping for a sofa one day, Schiavone decided to drape the company’s next refrigerator model in an unorthodox material: leather.
Once he joined Whirlpool, Schiavone began to wonder if a refrigerator would look good in leather. He had his team design and construct a 3D Prototype. This was the beginning of a new design direction for Whirlpool which has transformed the previously known 'white industry'. New fridges have a much more consumer-oriented approach, based upon a crisp yet sophisticated European design.
This is a stretch, honestly," said Schiavone as he presented the prototype at Whirlpool's headquarters in Michigan. "When I first showed this to everybody around here, people said, 'Oh. New guy. Nutty.'"
Schiavone begins by sketching his ideas and then creating a computer rendering. In most cases, the next step is to send these designs to their Objet 3D Printer which quickly prints out accurate 3D Prototypes for Partick and his team to assess.
Schiavone is starting with a more reserved adjustment. In the coming months Whirlpool will introduce one of Schiavone's first major designs—a new kitchen-appliance line known as “White Ice” and “Black Ice.” Schiavone was inspired by a trend he noticed: cars, watches, cell phones and furniture using metallic details on backgrounds of black or white.
On another shelf sits a pale-yellow Brastemp Retro mini-refrigerator, with stylish slanted chrome legs and a rounded chrome handle, a product made by the Brazilian arm of Whirlpool.
"I absolutely fell in love with it," he said. "It doesn't have to be a box," he said. "It can be a story.”
Who knew fridges could speak so well?
About Us
As a leading Canadian 3D Printer Distribution Centre, 3D Printers Canada serves Canadian clients by providing the most leading edge and advanced plastic production 3D Printers for their prototyping and small run production needs. 3D Printers Canada goal is maintaining professional customer service as it's number one priority. Our employees have a high level of professionalism and expertise to ensure high quality service and business success.
Our team of Mechanical Engineers and Mechanical Engineering Technologists are fully trained with Objet's world’s greatest 3D prototyping machines and software that enables our customers to always be strategic and innovative. We are a dedicated team and are highly skilled at what we do. With the leading edge of 3D Printing Systems, we are competitively priced and always deliver quality products to our clients.
Mission
Our Mission is to deliver advanced and robust 3D Printers to Canadian Product Development clients so they can speed up innovation and develop world class products. With our full line of unique 3D Printers which enables 3D CAD models to be built with amazing surface quality, highest accuracy/resolutions and with the world's only multi-material applications, which is second to none.
Vision
The vision of 3D Printers Canada is to continue leading the Prototyping industry while providing 3D pioneering plastic production solutions to new markets utilizing innovative design, technology and to inspire people to create new ideas in faster turnaround product development cycles.
We put our creativity on course to bring forth unique tools for our customers. We are dedicated to being innovative and augmentative, continuously thinking of how we can enhance and increase value by being diverse.
Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is our ultimate measure of success. We are devoted to fulfill and even go beyond customer expectations. We believe in enduring and positive customer relationships based on confidence and reliability. Our engineering product design customers range from all over Canada. 3D Printers Canada is a member of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers).
Quality
We acknowledge quality as the core of our reputation. We practice excellence, as individuals and as a corporation. It is our belief that staying determined is an essential requirement for success. We are devoted to continued progress in all aspects of our operations.
Your satisfaction is necessary to our success. Our goal is to provide you with the best level of customer service, and we welcome your comments and suggestions.
