The Helical Louvre Drive System was a Gold Medal Design Award winner at the Plastics New Zealand Awards 2004. Design Smart developed a compact hidden drive system which is housed within a standard size 75mm by 50mm aluminium box section. more...

The Helical Louvre Drive System was a Gold Medal Design Award winner at the Plastics New Zealand Awards 2004. Design Smart developed a compact hidden drive system which is housed within a standard size 75mm by 50mm aluminium box section. A previous drive system which had been used by the client existed of externally mounted wire rod torque arms and a linkage bar; which was far from aesthetically pleasing. A worm box or a helical gear drive using plastic components was the chosen concept; this being loosely based on other prior art designs. However these older designs had been poorly executed and were not very popular with the end user or practical for system installers. Design Smart systematically resolved all the issues with the older designs, turning the concept into a Design Award winner. The exact plastic material selection for these components was critical, especially considering the environmental conditions the product is subject to. These conditions are anything from tropical to freezing temperatures and / or humid to dry conditions. This combined with the forces involved in the thermal expansion / contraction of the aluminium Louvres, made for another challenging project.