It’s nice when a couple of industrial designers decide to help you conceptualize an idea. MMDR Designs is a small team of designers (David Rosenfeld and his wife) who take an email from a customer with an idea for an object, and model it, using a variety of software – which is generally Alibre and MOI – and print it out on the 3D printer that they think would do the best job.
The designs they use as examples on their website are generally in the realm of practical prototypes. There is a replacement screwdriver handle, an excellent looking pocketknife, some wax casted CNC milled letter rings, a roof rack, a shower head mount, and a tire rim center cap.
I suppose they can’t show off all of their creations at the customer’s request, but it seems as though they are looking to do all of the work to turn ideas into reality.
What I like about MMDR is that they seem to have a homegrown feel that is more based in curiosity than commerciality. They seem more interested in stretching the boundaries of what they typically do by experimenting and helping conceptualize any idea that comes their way. It’s pretty evident how they feel about the whole service they’ve designed:
“The reasons behind the designs often came about in a few different ways.
- Necessity – a part was needed and we designed and created it.
- Curiosity – to discover if a part could be designed in such a way that it could be made better.
- Fun – to design and build something that was fun, distinctive and interesting.
- Client-based – a client contacted us with an idea and allowed us to work with them in making it a reality.”
I’m not going sensationalize the 3D printing of a knife, because, as Mr. Rosenfeld knows (he’s been making knives through alternate means for over 10 years), there are plenty of ways to make a knife, and plenty of ways to sharpen just about any piece of plastic. If you were to use it to get past metal detectors and stab someone, it would amount to being a fancy shiv. The point here is to understand that, if you are without expensive machinery, 3D printers, CNC mills, and design software, you can still have access to great designers and quality objects, parts, gadgets and prototypes.
