3D Printing

Audiowings Internet Connected Wireless Headphones Made Possible with 3DP

Rapid prototyping continues to be the secret to conceiving and launching new products quickly and successfully. Audiowings wireless headphones are among the first wearable tech products that are taking full advantage of wi-fi and 3g/4g technology and they owe a lot of it to their 3D printed prototype.

Audiowings Headphones 3d printing

Audiowings wireless headphones connect directly to the Internet and will allow you to stream music from Spotify and other web based music streaming services. With an intuitive interface you can control your music right from the headphones themselves or via a wireless connection to your smartphone. While it’s a fantastic idea it wasn’t an idea exclusive to Audiowings founder Carl Thomas. Several other companies were trying to secure funding for similar products, however while they were still in the Kickstarter stage Thomas had already used 3D printing to create a prototype, allowing him to beat his competition to the patent office.

When Thomas first brought his concept to Ignitec he needed a prototype created quickly so that he could pitch to Sir Richard Branson during his Pitch to Rich 2014 competition. The Bristol based design and prototyping firm was able to help develop the products design and came up with the simple jog wheel interface. The prototype was 3d printed on a Stratasys Objet30 Pro and then assembled and finished in studio.

Audiowings Headphones 3d printing

“When we were first approached with the concept of Audiowings and briefed on its prototyping requirements, we instantly knew that 3D printing would be the answer,” explains Director of Ignitec Ben Mazur “Our Stratasys Objet30 Pro 3D Printer was the obvious choice since it has the ability to produce products on demand that depict the accuracy and surface quality of injection molding.”

Audiowings Headphones 3d printing detail

The Objet30 Pro was chosen for its high print detail, allowing them to create a smooth surface finish that would look identical to the mass produced final product. I would say that they were very successful in that. Rapid prototyping has completely changed the way new products are designed and marketed, and many companies who prototype using traditional manufacturing techniques are finding themselves left behind.

While Audiowings did not win the Pitch to Rich competition, they did win the coveted People Award that was voted on by viewers of the competition and the general public. This granted them a prestigious mentoring program from established business leaders and has allowed them to move forward with bringing their product to market with an expected price tag of about $400.00.

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