Authors:
Grant Freeman, Benjamin Lane
Summary:
Our project is to create a versatile 3D printed phone stand that can be used at a desk, in a car or magnetically. This will give consumers the option to have one phone stand that will be inexpensive, and can fit any need.
Intro/Background:
The problem we are trying to solve involves the practicality and use of current phone stands. While there are currently many solid options for phone stands we believe that no stand has created a versatile option that can be used in more than one setting, for example, on your desk and in your car. This versatility will make our design unique, and thus allowing users to only need to purchase a single phone stand model for whatever use they want. Additionally, our stand will be manufactured fully by 3D printing. While most stands are produced using other methods, manufacturing ours by 3D printing will allow for a unique design and style that is cheap and easy to produce and provide the optionality to be easily made in a variety of different colors.
Impact:
We believe our design can have an impact on the phone stand market by providing a cheap, reliable option for consumers looking for a simple stand to use. Due to the fact that our design is 3D printed, it will be hard to compete with the high end stands, and thus we will focus on the broader market — for consumers looking for a simple and practical stand. The versatility of our design will make it attractive for casual consumers as they can purchase our stand, and get use from it in multiple ways, rather than having to purchase separate stands for there desk and for there car.
Methods/Approach:
We will be using a combination of CAD software’s such as Solidworks, alongside FDM 3D printing to realize our design goals. By using FDM printing we are able to substantially decrease the amount of time to produce a part as compared to more traditional methods which may require extra steps such as finishing and assembling. By utilizing FDM were are able to achieve a suitable quality of product at a much lower price than what can be seen on the market today. Some risks which we are aware of which might affect the design are stress points, particularly horizontal finish lines and connections as the stand will have to withhold the weight of the phone for long periods of time. We are also aware of the possibility of having to simplify performance/features in order for the part to print both reliably and quickly.
Future Plan:
If our proposed ideas are achieved by our design and implementation then the next step of our research would aim to look at expansion upon both phone compatibility and also long term use issues should they arise.