BOSEbuild, a division of Bose, is able to produce key prototype components for their BOSEbuild headphones. In-house printers allow for extensive testing during early design stages, reducing the time between sample tests, saving money, and enabling the team to gather valuable data on product usability.
Through Ultimaker, BOSEbuild can provide rapid prototyping and parts production for any project.
Time-saving design flexibility
"We needed a rapid prototyping method to produce multiple parts quickly, and our Ultimaker machines can easily handle printing in 6 different colors, allowing everyone on the team to physically test the design, function, and practicality of the headphones," said Joe Titlow, Head of Sales and Marketing at BOSEbuild.
Initial Challenges
When developing BOSEbuild headphones, the BOSEbuild design and engineering team needed to prototype the core, which is a critical component for attaching the earpieces to the headband. While they initially used Bose's internal prototyping to create their main part, they realized there was an urgent need for more than one core to facilitate further product testing. Furthermore, for the headphones to look and feel like the final product, every part had to fit together perfectly.
Having two Ultimaker printers on hand allowed for greater flexibility in BOSEbuild's design projects, and in the case of the BOSEbuild headphones, they were able to produce accessories in various colors. The flexibility of the main core was sufficient for the testing team, hardware team, and acoustic team to pass their evaluations one by one after testing. This meant that early developers could move faster into prototyping and design approval processes. By saving time and money through Ultimaker, they could focus on the results and perfect the final product.
BOSEbuild was able to manufacture 3D printed parts for new products, thus saving money and increasing efficiency during the testing phase, bringing new advances in production. If you are also interested in our desktop 3D printers, you can refer to our product page; and we also provide printing services.
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/knowledge/20-rapid-prototyping-and-product-testing-with-ultimaker