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3D Printing for the iPhone June 30
Low volume fabrication for consumer products
Product design company Design Human Colectiv are used to traditional production processes. It’s the standard formula: traditional prototyping in the development phase followed by high volume fabrication of the final product. However, one of their current projects – a steady cam for the iPhone 4G, potentially represents a shift in focus, moving towards the next generation low volume production. This process evolution means that the steady cam is only the beginning of low volume production for DHC. Pleased with Ponoko service, the company has several other projects in the pipeline to be made with Ponoko in the near future.
The initiative behind the iPhone steady cam is the rapid development of the phone’s photo/video features, as “once phones have acquired the ability to shoot HD it’s just a matter of time that shot quality becomes important”. DHC are taking the pendulum concept and aiming to deliver it in the smallest possible package. The brief is for a design that’s simple, easily transportable and reasonably priced. Styling is another crucial factor – the product must make a statement that entices the user past the purely functional level.
The initial steady cam prototypes were printed in Rainbow Plastic to explore the possibility of color options. The material proved to be too brittle for this particular task, and the second prototype was made with a much more resistant Durable Plastic.
Interview with the design manager Chiara Gasparetto under the cut:
