The Trakz project was in need of a creative solution for it’s housing system. Balance between functionality, durability, cost, manufacturing, ease of use and antenna interferences needed to be stuck. Different approaches have been looked at with Lycra like fabric, Neoprene, w/o zip etc.

At this scale, elastic fabrics do not offer as much elasticity making a tight fit unpractical. It is also quite difficult to work with using standard sewing technics. More advanced technics like hot weld are interesting but requires custom made tools not viable for cost control.

Working with Neoprene was inspirational for getting a nice natural curvature due to its structural integrity. I liked the look but improvements were needed for cost and ergonomy (not satisfied with the thickness between collar and animal’s throat).

Everything felt into place after trying out an cotton elastic band often used for medical applications. It is finer, cheaper (compare to Neoprene), has structural integrity, can stretch (one way only), can be laser cut in one single piece and sewing is straight forward, so much so that the team participated to it.

The design works on most collar sizes, is antenna friendly, low cost and even have a spot for branding. Ticking all the boxes.