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Prototyping:
Tantrum electric screwdriver receives Cool Idea! Award; prosthetic knee and maze toy are winners too

Tantrum screwdriver by Flipout Screwdrivers.

 

 

Designed especially for tight spaces, an electric screwdriver called Tantrum by Flipout Screwdrivers has received a Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award.

Proto Labs, a super-fast manufacturer of CNC machined and injection-molded parts, launched the Cool Idea! Award to help product designers bring their innovations to life by giving away prototyping and short-run production services to recipients. Proto Labs provided Flipout, located in Bellingham, Wash., with tooling and a subsequent first production run of injection-molded parts in preparation for the product's Kickstarter campaign.

Flipout Screwdrivers joins a growing list of cutting-edge products that have received the Cool Idea! Award. Now in its third year, Cool Idea! is a program offered by Proto Labs that gives product designers the opportunity to bring innovative products to life by granting them a hefty helping of free prototyping and production services. In 2012, Proto Labs expanded the program's reach to include the European Union, and is now offering prototyping and short-run production services totalling up to $250,000 for the year. All you have to do is apply.

"This screwdriver can truly fit any project," says Joel Townsan, Flipout founder and CEO. "From the professional contractor to a DIYer, a lot of people will have use for the Tantrum. With the Cool Idea! Award, we are very excited and ready to launch a limited product release through Kickstarter."

The idea for the Tantrum came while Townsan was working on a project of his own -- replacing the speaker in his car -- and was not able to find a tool that would fit in the confined space. So he took it upon himself to learn computer-aided design (CAD). After several iterations of prototypes, Townsan arrived at the finalized design for the Tantrum. Complete with a low-profile design and a patented gear system, it can be configured into 168 positions, giving the Tantrum access to spaces inaccessible to traditional power tools.

"When I was ready to start production, I teamed up with a local community college. Unfortunately, they weren't yet skilled enough to machine my parts," says Townsan. "When I went to a local CNC machining company, it was too expensive. Luckily, that company recommended Proto Labs, and I found the Cool Idea! Award. The Cool Idea! Award is a godsend. It brought down our production costs, which ultimately means lower product costs for our customers -- and a successful launch."

Unlike other product awards that recognize products after they're in mass production and on store shelves, Proto Labs' Cool Idea! Award is meant to help cool ideas come to life. Eligibility for the award is determined during the design and development stage, when innovators are often stymied by a lack of resources or funds to turn their ideas into real products.

"The Tantrum is a brilliant tool for a lot of different groups," says Larry Lukis, CTO and founder of Proto Labs. "Proto Labs customers make things, and this tool could help any one of them. It's exciting to support a product that could directly benefit the makers of the world."

Other recent Cool Ideas! expand opportunities, challenge the mind
Recently, the Proto Labs' Cool Idea! Award program also has helped bring mobility to amputees in the developing world and helped children expand their creativity with a physical maze-building game.

ReMotion Knee

The ReMotion Knee from D-Rev, a low-cost prosthetic knee joint, was given a Cool Idea! Award, and Proto Labs provided D-Rev with injection-molded parts to fulfill its next round of testing.

A patient walks with her ReMotion knee. [Photo: D-Rev]

 

 

The ReMotion Knee started in 2008 as a project in a graduate bio-medical engineering class. The class collaborated with the JaipurFoot Organization, India's largest provider of low-cost prosthetics, and later teamed up with San Francisco-based designer Vinesh Narayan. In 2010, D-Rev, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and income of people living on less than $4 per day, continued the project with Narayan, who was hired on as a product manager.

"About 10 million above-the-knee amputees live in developing countries, and the ReMotion Knee allows them to walk stably on uneven or unpaved terrain typical of the developing world. It also helps them return to work and remain independent," says Narayan. "Current low-cost knee joints are mostly single-axis joints. They operate similarly to a door hinge, and although they are inexpensive, they are unstable. ReMotion uses a polycentric mechanism, similar to anatomical knees, to provide greater stability."

Today, more than 4,600 amputees have been fitted with a ReMotion Knee. As part of the Cool Idea! Award, 100 knee joints will be injection molded and used in field testing to ensure performance as manufacturing transitions from CNC machining to injection-molded parts. The shift is important for maintaining quality while serving large numbers of people.

"We were attracted to the ReMotion Knee largely because of its mission and potential to improve the lives of thousands of people," says Proto Labs' Lukis. "The entire design is extremely well done, both aesthetically and functionally. Every aspect of the device has been well thought through, from the use of high-quality plastics, instead of metals, to save on cost and maintenance without sacrificing performance; to the rounded edges and spring that create a more natural appearance and gait."

"With the Cool Idea! Award, we are able to test the new knee design with much less risk by only producing 100 injection-molded knee joints. This is not typical for most injection molders who require large production runs. Working with Proto Labs has significantly accelerated the project without adding risk," says Narayan.

Maze-O
Maze-O, a colorful plastic maze building set, took one step closer to hitting toy store shelves when the start-up was awarded a Cool Idea! Award.

Maze-O builds great tracks for cars and other toys. [Photo: Jessica Friedman of Maze-O]

 

 

Maze-O is the first toy to receive the award. Proto Labs provided Maze-O with injection-molded parts for the initial working prototypes used to market the toy to potential distributors at New York City's Toy Fair 2013 in February.

The Maze-O journey began in 2012 when Dan and Jessica Friedman discovered that their son loved creating mazes with wooden blocks. Those mazes would inevitably be knocked over by younger siblings, causing great frustration. The Friedmans set out to find a sturdy maze-building toy with pieces that linked together so that it could be used with cars and other toys. When they couldn't find what they wanted, they decided to create it themselves. The result is a set of brightly colored ramps, straights, turns, T-junctions, and dead-ends. "Mazes are everywhere in a kid's world -- restaurant placemats, cereal boxes, and even computer games -- but there is no physical play kit that kids can use to build original mazes," says Jessica Friedman, Maze-O co-creator. "Kids are creative, and many enjoy completing mazes and puzzles. It was a sort of light bulb moment that went off in our heads believing a toy like this can exist."

The Friedmans downloaded CAD software, bought a 3D printer, and began designing. The original design produced chunky pieces, and if everything went smoothly, one set of Maze-O pieces could take three days to print. In addition, the 3D-printed parts were not strong enough to hold up to active play. In order to be ready to pitch the product at Toy Fair, an alternative method was needed to produce the parts really fast in a production-ready material. After hearing about the Cool Idea! Award and speaking with Proto Labs, they determined injection-molded parts would solve their durability issues, and Proto Labs' quick turnaround time would have the pieces ready to go before they left for New York.

"The whole process was new to us. Many inventors have at least some knowledge of the part-making process. We had never worked with a manufacturer prior to this, and we learned CAD software, 3D printing, and design for injection molding of real parts as we went along," says Dan Friedman, Maze-O co-creator. "When we called Proto Labs, they walked us through the entire manufacturing process. We asked basic questions that larger manufacturers didn't seem to have time for. Proto Labs was patient with us and helped us learn on the fly."

"We were excited by the product's educational aspects," says Proto Labs' Lukis. "Spatial reasoning and fine motor skills are paramount in many growing fields, and this toy fosters those skills in a fun way."

For more information about the Cool Idea! Award and how to apply, visit www.protolabs.com/CoolIdea.

Source: Proto Labs

Published June 2013

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