Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクター by Yu Ren is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in デザイン品質・イノベーション Competition Category.

鉄デザイン品質· 2025

Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクター

by Yu Ren

Client: Ziel Home Furnishing Technology Co., Ltd.

A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in デザイン品質 Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクター

Toolless-Cuddlyは、キャットタワーを組み立てるために設計されたコネクターです。素材はプラスチックで、幅76mm、奥行76mm、高さ46mmの寸法を持ちます。留め具の位置を合わせて回転させるだけで組み立てが完了するため、工具を一切必要としません。パーツは何度でも分解・再結合が可能で、猫のニーズの変化に応じてキャットタワーを拡張したり、構成を変更したりできます。コネクターは30kgの荷重に対応します。摩耗したアクセサリーは交換できるため、キャットタワーの使用寿命を延ばすことができます。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鉄賞

Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクターは、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクターは、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。Toolless-Cuddly 組立コネクターは、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Toolless Clickat is a connector specifically designed for assembling cat trees. It enables quick and easy assembly without the need for tools and can be disassembled and reassembled multiple times, allowing users to use the cat tree flexibly. Whether the cat grows up or the number of cats increases, users can quickly assemble and disassemble the cat tree according to their actual needs, enabling combination and expansion.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 76mm x Depth 76mm x Height 46mm
Tags: Assembling connectors, Pet products, Pet furniture, Plastic products, Pet supplies accessories
Production Technology: Toolless Clickat is made of a plastic material, which is sturdy and durable, and it can withstand a weight of 30KG. It is designed for the cat tree assembly and is easy to use. Cat tree products can be quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of any tools, significantly enhancing the user experience. Compared to traditional products, Toolless Clickat reduces installation time by 80%. It can also increase production efficiency during the manufacturing process of Cat Trees, which can lead to higher profits.
Design Challenge: During the research and design process, the main challenge lies in exploring a novel connector structure that not only meets the playful needs of cats, but also caters to the owner's preference for convenient installation. In addition, ensuring the stability of the connector to maximize the assembly speed is another major challenge, and the new connector needs to be smoothly adapted to the traditional cat tree accessories. The Toolless-Clickat connector uses an innovative connection mode, eliminating the use of a screwdriver. Compared with ordinary products, products assembled with the Toolless Clickat connector can reduce the installation time by 90%.
Research: Many users express dissatisfaction with traditional cat tree products, citing difficulties in installation, accessory replacement, and the inability to adjust the cat tree area to meet their cats' needs, which often necessitates re-selection. To address these issues, we have focused on enabling quick installation and replacement. We developed the Toolless Clickat quick-installation connectors, which allow for arbitrary combinations and minimalist assembly of cat tree components. Additionally, during subsequent use, vulnerable parts can be easily replaced using the Toolless Clickat system.
Inspiration: When your cat at home grows up and welcomes new companions, it will need more scratching posts and jumping platforms. The small cat climbing frame will need to be replaced with a larger one, and the owner will have to go through the lengthy installation process again. The design inspiration for Toolless Clickat's tool-free quick assembly comes from this very need.
Project Duration: The project started in Zhengzhou in February 2024 and was completed in Shenzhen in September 2024
Operation Flow: After installing the Toolless Click system on the cat tree accessory, users can quickly complete the assembly by aligning the clasps and rotating them. This makes the assembly and disassembly of the product very simple, reducing the time required for assembling a single accessory from 2 minutes to just 10 seconds. Additionally, compared to traditional screw connections, this system is more durable. The accessories can also be replaced according to the cat's growth needs, allowing the product to be freely reconfigured and extending the life cycle of the cat tree.
Patents: 2024102953744
Team Members: Ruihua Zhang
Zhe Gao
Youjin Song
Jingkai Bi