July 27, 2015 | By Alec

3D printing technology has steadily developed a reputation for itself as being perfect for coming up with ingeniously simple solutions for everyday problems. A new generation of industrial designers is already using 3D printers to change our lives slowly but certainly. Among them is the Raleigh, North Carolina-based student Sunny Su, who just unveiled ‘O!’ as a 3D printed solution to the age-old problem of how to conveniently carry multiple bottles at once.

Sunny Su is currently a third-year industrial design student at North Carolina State’s College of Design in Raleigh, North Carolina who specializes in developing solutions for a wide range of branches. ‘I'm an industrial designer who specializes in systems, service, product, and experience design with expertise in interdisciplinary consultation of design strategy for small business & new ventures, product/brand/identity development, market analysis, user research, ergonomics, heuristics, and user testing,’ he says. He recently shared his ‘O!’ solution on creative showcase platform Behance.

Now you might not have ever experienced this as a problem you’d wish someone would solve, but industrial designers like Sunny adopt a different way of looking at the world to locate problems. And in this case, its not about realizing the impossible, but about convenience. ‘How can we enhance the consumer beverage experience and increase the opportunity to share, make it more convenient to carry a drink bottle -or even six, to give back the ability to use your hands while holding one?’ Su asked himself.

As he explained on Behance, the designer began his creative process through interviewing consumers between the ages of 12 to 55 regarding their experiences with popular carbonated beverages. How did experiences line up to the expectations of the company itself? Now companies often look at the quality or marketability of the product, but Su instead discovered that packaging was also a common source of problems. A 12 oz. bottle just isn’t very easy to hold or carry. Even if you don’t have small hands, taking a couple out of the fridge at once isn’t easy – especially if you’re carrying something else at the same time. He therefore presented himself with the following mission: ‘To enhance the consumer beverage experience and increase the opportunity to share, not only by making it more convenient to carry a drink bottle – or even six – but also by giving back your ability to use your hand while holding one.’

Through a lengthy design process, he eventually came up with an ingeniously simple solution: a carrying system that focusses on the smaller lids, rather than the entire bottle. To do so, he developed special caps featuring an ‘O!’ ring that can be easily hooked onto your finger – and as the screw lid is a horizontal movement pattern, the contents of the bottle stay very secure.

While initially looking great on paper, Su turned to 3D printing to create several prototypes. The first prototype in basic white consists of several 3D printed parts, which are easily assembled. The initial prototypes did very well with consumers, though the designer expects that companies can make these on a large scale through injection molding rather than 3D printing. A recyclable high-density polyethelene would be perfect, he speculates.

Not only does this cool solution emphasize just what can be achieved through 3D printed interation, the very concept is also ideal. Not only is it very convenient and compact, it also encourages reusing of bottles. And as Su has already claimed to be sponsored by a fortune 100 major beverage company, we might be seeing these lids in stores soon. 


 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

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