Wonderfil Bulk Liquid Dispenser

219 Design helped Wonderfil take their bulk liquid dispenser from a works-like prototype to a sleek, robust, reliable, and easy to maintain system that can withstand the demands of a busy retail environment.

Bulk Liquid Dispenser for Wonderfil

Strategic Prototyping for Every Stage

Consumer Smart Vending

Client Vision

To Eliminate Single-Use Plastics at the Source

“219 Design was a great fit that allowed our startup to bridge the technical gaps in our small team but still get to the next stage of pilots. They really understood our vision to create a novel and innovative product while keeping the UX familiar and intuitive.”

Shiloh Sacks, CTO & Co-Founder
Wonderfil

About Wonderfil

With a lifespan of ~450 years, plastics will outlast us all, and recycling has never really been a viable solution (plastic story). Wonderfil saw an opportunity to create a truly effective and sustainable option by using bulk distribution with refillable containers to remove all packaging requirements for liquid and cream products like shampoos and moisturizers.

The Wonderfil solution is a win for the environment, companies, retailers, and consumers alike. Their system gives companies a way to eliminate plastic from their supply chain, saves retailers space and money, and provides consumers with an opportunity to avoid buying single use plastics.

Their plug-and-play approach is not limited to grocery stores. Requiring no installation and little overhead, Wonderfil stations can also be installed in schools, gyms, laundromats, offices, hotels, and other retailers. In fact, we will have one in each of our offices!

“We love bringing new ideas to life, especially when they make a significant positive impact on the environment. 219 Design was able to solve the challenges Wonderfil needed to tackle to develop a sleek, strong, reliable, and cost effective next gen Wonderfil system.”

Trevor Wesolowski, Staff Mechanical Engineer
219 Design

The Challenge

Developing a new product as a startup requires a very unique process. Without significant funding, an initial prototype must simply function well enough to test the concept and prove both product and market efficacy. For Wonderfil, this phase of development was a resounding success. Once they were able to secure clients and raise funds, they needed specialized expertise to take their product from a works like prototype to a robust, reliable, and easy to maintain system that could withstand the demands of a busy retail environment. While Wonderfil focused on growing their client base, 219 Design redesigned the tower and the refill system.

The Solution

Flexible Platform

219 designed a brand agnostic platform so the towers can be wrapped in a branded overlay. As a result, the system can fit into any environment – from an upscale shop to a grocery store to a factory. The backlit bezel makes an intuitive indication of status. The bent curves and brushed finish of the sheet metal case gives it a clean and modern look with details like the fasteners hidden in the back. We were able to achieve a sleek industrial design with a limited budget, through the use of rapid printed prototypes.

Built to Last

We also added features to enable Wonderfil to pass required testing for commerce – including integrated sensors and drip prevention. The whole system was made significantly stronger and more reliable by swapping out pipe construction with fabricated steel and upgrading the plumbing and wiring. Finally, the system was designed for manufacturing with easy assembly, a reduced part count, and clean wire and tube routing. We were able to keep costs low by avoiding all NRE (non-recurring engineering) tooling costs in the early stage by leveraging machining, sheet metal, and our in-house 3D printers.

See it here!