Product Development Story | VERYKAL Flat
After the launch of our automatic open/close folding umbrella "VERYKAL," we received numerous requests from many satisfied users asking if we could create a flatter (thinner) version that would be easier to fit into bags.
You might think it's as simple as changing the umbrella's shape from round to rectangular. However, flattening an automatic open/close umbrella presented significant technical challenges.
Unlike conventional round umbrellas, flat umbrellas have their ribs stored with three ribs on each side. This characteristic makes the main ribs prone to unstable movement when opening and closing the umbrella. For a manual umbrella, this can be resolved by the user slowly opening and closing it while observing its movement. However, automatic open/close umbrellas open instantly with the force of an internal spring, making it impossible to control the movement slowly.
When opening and closing with force, the ribs and fabric could get tangled, posing a risk of the ribs breaking. To address this, we re-evaluated the choice of rib materials from scratch.
While the original VERYKAL extensively used carbon for lightness, carbon, despite its high elasticity, is also "rigid." Therefore, for this flat model, we kept carbon for the middle ribs but deliberately adopted GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic) for the "end ribs," which are most susceptible to deformation.
Although GFRP is slightly heavier than carbon, it possesses excellent flexibility. This flexibility allows the ribs to flex and absorb impact even if they get tangled with the fabric during opening and closing, thereby preventing breakage.
As a result, the weight is slightly heavier than VERYKAL's 164g. However, in exchange, we were able to achieve the distinct advantage of a "flat shape" that fits stress-free into the narrow spaces of thin bags. This is another VERYKAL option, designed with daily portability as the top priority.
