www.3ders.org

Sep 26, 2015 | By Kira

An amateur inventor from Sheffield, England, has 3D printed a detachable silicon spoon cover that he believes will change how we eat noodles forever. The NoodVamp, as he calls it, is being backed up by Unilever’s Pot Noodle and is set to be manufactured and delivered over the next two months.

It’s one of the most beloved and ubiquitous meals amongst children and college students, the perfect late-night study snack, an instant dose of comfort, warmth and salty goodness, and all you have to do is add water. Whether you call them instant noodles, ramen, cup’o’noodles, or Pot Noodle, as it is branded in the UK by Unilever, there is a strong chance you’ve got a few squirreled away in your cupboard for those nights when you just can’t bare to open the fridge.

But no matter how much you love them, noodles are subject to one fatal flaw: they’re constantly slipping off of your spoon, splashing your shirt and face with broth, and leaving you with nothing but a big bite of air. Sure, you could switch back and forth between a fork and spoon, or even master chopsticks, but the whole point of Pot Noodles is that they’re supposed to be effortless! And don’t even think about using a spork, that “mediocre compromise” between spoon and fork. 

Enter: the NoodVamp. Despite it’s bizarre name (more on that later), it serves a very specific function. “I designed the NoodVamp in order to give people a simple way to eat their favourite meals without the hassle of switching between fork and spoon, and eliminating noodles spilling all over the place,” said the 31-year-old inventor Valid Krumins.

The product consists of a teaspoon add-on with soft rubbery teeth that catch the noodles before they fall. It easily slides over any conventional teaspoon, and is made from a food grade HTV (High Temperature Vulcanising) silicone, making it heat-resistant up to 270°C and dishwasher safe. As you might have guessed by now, the name is a portmanteau of “noodle” and vampire,” as Krumins was inspired by vampire during the initial product design.

Driven by his own frustration when eating Pot Noodles, Krumins developed the initial concept 10 years ago, and even launched a Kickstarter to fund his dream, but ended up with only £342 of his £30,000 target. It’s not that backers weren’t interested, Krumins simply lacked the prototypes that would convince them it could be done.

“I didn’t have the funds to finance the production of the NoodVamp, so at the time, crowdfunding seemed like the best solution,” he said. “However, as I didn’t have working prototypes that could be used to support my campaign, it didn’t receive the backing I needed.”

I"f you are comfortable with tablespoons be assured that NoodVamp will fit in your mouth comfortably," said Krumins.

As so many makers before him, Krumins invested in a desktop 3D printer and got to work on functioning prototypes at home. Surely, the cost efficiency, wide variety of materials, and ability to customize any design, gave Krumins the opportunity to see his dream come to life.

With his first batch of successful prototypes, Krumins seems to have hit the jackpot: The inventor has received an undisclosed sum from Pot Noodle, one of Britain’s most iconic brands and the UK’s #1 hot snack, to bring his product to the mass market. According to Pot Noodle themselves, 2,000 NoodVamps will be made available to fans in the next two months.

Krumins with his 3D printer and NoodVamp prototype

Krumin’s underdog story fits perfectly within Pot Noodle’s most recent You Can Make it Campaign, which encourages unlikely British inventors to submit their ideas for innovative or time-saving products like the NoodVamp. “Our work with Valdis highlights the simple message that with Pot Noodle you have more time to be creative and chase your dreams,” said Pot Noodle marketing manager Monique Rossi.

If 3D printing technology and the maker movement has taught us anything, it’s that no matter how odd or simple your dream may be, from NoodVamp to Pooch Selfie, if you make it, they will come.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

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