Products featuring fine bubbles and promising better cleaning, water savings or beauty benefits are now dominating the market, from household appliances such as washing machines to plumbing fixtures such as showerheads and faucets, as well as industrial cleaning equipment.
As products become commoditized and price competition intensifies, many product planning and development managers at manufacturers are likely thinking, “We want to add fine bubble functionality to our products to set them apart.” Once they actually try to add this functionality in-house, however, they face a variety of development hurdles.
This article explains the key points that allow manufacturers to implement fine bubble functionality reliably while keeping risk to a minimum.
Development Hurdles in Implementing Fine Bubble Functionality
When retrofitting or newly adding fine bubble functionality to a product, simply generating bubbles is not enough to bring it to market. The following technical hurdles must be overcome.
Development Cost and Speed
In addition to optimally designing and evaluating fine bubble performance, prototyping and mass production require enormous amounts of time and money. Researching and developing all of this in-house from scratch can take years and substantial development resources before a product reaches the market.
| Development phase | Burden of developing in-house from scratch |
|---|---|
| Design and evaluation | Designing flow paths that optimize fine bubble performance, and evaluating them, takes time |
| Prototyping | Repeated prototyping drives up time and cost |
| Mass production | Requires substantial development resources in addition to enormous prototyping time and cost |
| Time to market | Can take years |
The Solution: Sourcing a Reliable Bubble Core (Generator) as a Component
At a time when development speed is critical, the most efficient approach is to integrate a fine bubble generator with a fully developed fluid design into existing products as a core component. Adopting a proven bubble module as an OEM part or component offers the following major benefits.
1. Much Shorter Development Time (Faster Time to Market)
Because a verified mechanism is integrated as is, the time needed for flow path design and evaluation is reduced, so you can bring products to market sooner.
2. Added Value Through Minor Changes to Existing Products
Without major design changes, you can offer “fine bubble models” simply by switching an internal unit or adding an optional part.
3. Lower Quality Risk and Mold Investment
Using components with a proven record in mass production keeps initial investment (mold and evaluation costs) down and minimizes the risk of defects and durability problems.
| Item | Developing in-house from scratch | Sourcing a proven bubble core as a component |
|---|---|---|
| Development time | May take years | Adopting a verified mechanism shortens development time |
| Scale of design changes | Major design changes are often required | Can be handled by switching an internal unit or adding an option |
| Initial investment | Heavy burden of mold and evaluation costs | Using components proven in mass production keeps initial investment down |
| Quality risk | Defects and durability must be verified from scratch | A proven mass-production record keeps risk to a minimum |
Summary: Why Manufacturers Choose Shibata’s Bubble Generating Core Technology
Shibata Co., Ltd. supplies fine bubble generators and nozzles that fit compactly inside products, as OEM parts and components for household appliances, housing equipment and industrial cleaning equipment.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Space-saving design | Compact enough to be placed flexibly even in the limited space inside equipment |
| Customized to the application | We can propose a wide range of solutions, from high-pressure specifications for cleaning machines to low water pressure designs for showers and washing machines |
If you are a manufacturer looking to set your products apart by adding fine bubble functionality, or to bring a product to market quickly while keeping development costs down, please tell us about your plans. We will work alongside you as a partner, from technical verification to prototype proposals.
About the Author
Nakamura, Fine Bubble Division, Shibata Co., Ltd.