Grow It - Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing

By: Alicia Frye

GROWit prints magical, masterful, pure-awesomeful things every day. In this particular blog series, we highlight some of our Kickstarter customers: the leading innovators of consumer products. Today’s highlighted success? Simply Amplified.

SIMPLY AMPLIFIED

Simply Amplified is a GROWit subsidiary (so you know it’s a great company). Simply Amplified Symphony Shells are custom 3D printed smartphone amplifiers – available on Simply Amplified’s website. The team brought this project to Kickstarter to raise funds to develop fully recyclable, ecofriendly material to make greener products at a more affordable price point.

The best way to learn about this Symphony Shells Kickstarter campaign is to check out the project page itself.

Even if this project isn’t fully funded via Kickstarter, there’s still some awesome news –  you can still get Symphony Shells made in their original material on www.simplyamplified.com for all iPhone 4/4s/5 models.

As of today, this project is 61% backed and we still have a few days to go –we’ve almost made our goal! We’d really love your support in making this materials project happen – both for you and your wallet.

Regardless of the outcome, still be sure and see all Simply Amplified amplifier designs!

By: Brad Silverstein

With the recent lawsuit that major additive manufacturing company 3D Systems has announced, it seems fair to state that Kickstarter and 3D printing are two topics that are well worth “the buzz” and attention that is being generated. With this latest development, it now seems inevitable that Kickstarter will crack down even more on their acceptance qualifications for new projects.

As of now, if you plan on creating a hardware Kickstarter project, you can’t just use simulations of what your project might do if they can be interpreted as a finished product. 2D renderings and/or drawings without actual, physical prototype parts in hand and any images of a project must clearly demonstrate a prototype or plan as it currently exists. This is under the new Kickstarter rule “New Hardware and Product Design Project Guidelines”. What, then, does this mean? It seems one can’t just draw up any old idea, throw it on Kickstarter, and then sit around to see if it takes off.

Here at GROWit, we get to participate in Kickstarter projects all the time (and even our own, but that’s a story for another day). Many companies have come to GROWit before this new rule was implemented to print parts in order to better explain the intent of their ideas and have been very successful doing so.

If you have a physical part to show actual function and use, your Kickstarter idea is easily understood. 3D printing and prototyping does not have to be difficult or costly. There are even some low cost (and free) CAD programs that can be used to model up a part in 3D that can be printed. Once modeled, you can send over files, have them 3D printed, and get them delivered all within a few days. In most cases, we are able to print materials that can near-perfectly mimic the intended production material and color.

It’s exciting to work on Kickstarter projects and then see them get backed. Many customers confidentially come to us, so we can’t always share the awesome products we’ve been silently a part of or will be in the future, but others are very open to singing their “3D print-to-production” story!

In our Kickstarter series, we’ll feature three awesome Kickstarter stories on real-life GROWit customers and how 3D printing has played a role in their success!

Ready to print parts for your Kickstarter project? Contact one of GROWit’s tech team members here to learn more! You dream it. We GROWit.

Process: PolyJet® (main body) and FDM®

Material: DMAB (Green ABS-Like)  and PC-ABS Black

Purpose: Ultra-Speed

Fun Features: Aerodynamic Structure, Chrome Plated

Designer: Cameron Williams, GROWit’s Technical Project Manager

Have specialty models you would like to create?  GROWit’s state-of-the-art process can help make it happen. Visit the GROWit Upload Center for a free quote!

You dream it. We GROWit.