Puck Engineers & the Creation of the TTR15P

Puck Fire has recently launched the newest product in its lineup; the TTR15P Hose Reel. This hose reel is based on the same design that led to the success of Puck’s original agricultural hose reel. Puck Turn Table Reels can quickly deploy and retrieve thousands of feet of large diameter hose with minimal physical effort. The sales team identified an opportunity to expand upon this existing product by adapting it to use in other industries. The Engineering Department took this concept as a foundation to further explore and develop this product for more uses.

Teamwork & Collaboration

The Product Engineering team received a detailed product specification document as a guide for the creation of the TTR15P. This project was assigned to a single team, but it was a group effort from the entire department. A diverse team of engineers, including one project engineer, three design engineers, two electrical engineers, two software engineers, and three manufacturing engineers, played integral roles in the design and testing phases of the product. “This collaborative effort ensured the product was not only well-designed and functional but also manufacturable, reliable, and user-friendly. All this was important to lead to a successful launch,” said Todd Muell, Project Engineer Lead at Puck Manning. 

Throughout the product design phase, engineers specializing in specific disciplines took the lead on certain aspects of the design. However, the engineering team also relied on colleagues in other departments. “In our product design process, collaboration with our CNC, Fabrication, Coatings, and Assembly departments was essential at critical design steps,” said Todd. “This collaborative approach allowed us to obtain feedback on how we could improve the design of parts, assemblies, or processes. This feedback ensures that our product would flow smoothly through manufacturing and assembly operations.” 

Overcoming Challenges

As a new product within a new market, Puck Fire’s TTR15P had some major tweaks to the original Turn Table Reel design. One challenge was to incorporate all of the project requirements into the hose reel’s powerpack at the front of the chassis. This powerpack contains the 38 HP gas engine, manual control levers, master power, and more. “Accommodating all required components within the designated space for the power unit while ensuring optimal functionality of human interaction areas, facilitating ease of serviceability, and adhering to market aesthetics posed a substantial challenge for the engineering product design team,” recalled Todd. The cross-department teamwork and varying perspectives from multiple backgrounds played a large role in overcoming the issue. 

This exceptional teamwork among Puck employees was one of the great successes of this product design and launch. “The cross-department teamwork led to a highly successful first article product test and validation cycle. This achievement in testing advanced the product to its final stage to be released to customers through the sales team,” added Todd. Valuable input from each department ensured the product was not only well-designed and functional but also manufacturable, reliable, and user-friendly.

Timeline

From its inception, Puck Fire’s TTR15P has gone through many stages of production, including the creation of product specification documentation, product design, setup of manufacturing processes and operations, manufacturing, assembly, and product testing. The entire process spanned about four months from start to finish. Throughout each phase, the engineering team worked diligently to ensure that the product met all specifications, adhered to quality standards, and underwent thorough testing to validate its performance and functionality. 

Thanks to the hard work of the engineers and production departments, the TTR15P is ready! This product will ease the burden of retrieving large diameter hose for industrial firefighters. For more information on Puck Fire equipment, contact a sales team member.