I want to start with full disclosure. I am a trained and practicing industrial designer. I have spent the last 15 years deeply immersed in both traditional and cutting edge visualization and prototyping tools. This particular project was possible because of all that i have learned and the tools i have access to through professional relationships. However, because of this amazing time we are living in most of these tools are becoming easier and easier to get access to.
This is my first Instructable, I am primarily interested in sharing my process because i had a lot of fun with it and also want to encourage more making. A second less intrinsic reason for posting is to enter the "make it real challenge". Although i have access to some amazing tools my personal projects are always limited by the boundaries of my professional relationship. Having unmitigated access to certain technologies would give me complete freedom to pursue projects of unparalleled absurdity.
So, in a step by step personal diary format i present to you the Ice Scream Man or The Birth of Brutherford Industries.
This is my first Instructable, I am primarily interested in sharing my process because i had a lot of fun with it and also want to encourage more making. A second less intrinsic reason for posting is to enter the "make it real challenge". Although i have access to some amazing tools my personal projects are always limited by the boundaries of my professional relationship. Having unmitigated access to certain technologies would give me complete freedom to pursue projects of unparalleled absurdity.
So, in a step by step personal diary format i present to you the Ice Scream Man or The Birth of Brutherford Industries.
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I have a long history of goofing off and generating images, models and sometimes even products with the express purpose of making people laugh. In august of 2011 i worked up a digital doodle and shared it on my blog which i thought maybe 8 people even knew about.
The model started with some basic volume created in Solidworks, I prefer to start most of my digital modeling in a program like Solidworks because as far as 3-d modeling goes it is my native language and really helps me understand the scale i'm working in.
Once i have a basic form and proportion i am happy with i'll transition to another more freeform type modeling program.
In this case that program is actually called Sensable Freeform. This program is operated by a haptic sculpting device that allows you to "feel" your model and provides for a much more sculptural manipulation of your digital file.
You'll see the progression from step 1 which was a fairly controlled geometry through step 5 where i was pushing and pulling the model in to a more organic shape.
Initially i was only interested in a rendering and not an actual physical output, but once i decided to bring the product in to the real world the model made one more trip back in to Solidworks for some engineering details since i wanted to make the base and cone in two parts that had to fit together well.
The model started with some basic volume created in Solidworks, I prefer to start most of my digital modeling in a program like Solidworks because as far as 3-d modeling goes it is my native language and really helps me understand the scale i'm working in.
Once i have a basic form and proportion i am happy with i'll transition to another more freeform type modeling program.
In this case that program is actually called Sensable Freeform. This program is operated by a haptic sculpting device that allows you to "feel" your model and provides for a much more sculptural manipulation of your digital file.
You'll see the progression from step 1 which was a fairly controlled geometry through step 5 where i was pushing and pulling the model in to a more organic shape.
Initially i was only interested in a rendering and not an actual physical output, but once i decided to bring the product in to the real world the model made one more trip back in to Solidworks for some engineering details since i wanted to make the base and cone in two parts that had to fit together well.
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Idea for you though: How hard would it be if you instead casted wax and made candles. In my mind, wax is cheaper so you might be able to reduce the cost on the candle models and depending on the difficulty, add the scent of the icecream they represent.
Once again, beautiful execution start to finish
I like the packaging solution! Very nice. Can you share how you were able to get your products in retail locations?
Thank you,
Jim
XD
...I bet nobody has commented 'cause nobody found this funny XD
clearly... i think it's hilarious
They are available on my website www.brutherford.com
On the other side, someone knows if there is a instructable about vinyl toys production or processes?
Congrats and good luck
or
shallow in that it's an expenssive plastic knick knack?
Maybe it´s a little contradictory that i am willing to spend $50-75 in a resin scale model figure, but i´m more than dubitous about one of this art toys...(not in this case, i think this is cool) . and i´ve seen some of this pieces to go far above $200-250
Perhaps in the blooming of the 3d print technology its a plus to put some human touch in the production
again congratulations, great job!
But hey, if you're making money and people are buying your 50-75$ knick knacks, then who's complaining?
I grew up around expensive ceramic figurines, painted porcelain plates and strange crystal butterflies. Maybe plastic is the Lenox of the new generation?
I certainly have a very comfortable margin in my retail pricing but an important detail to note is that i'd prefer to sell more pieces wholesale. Wholesale partnerships with established retailers will give me broader exposure and lend credibility as a relatively new name in this market. While i've been collecting for 20 years and working as a professional designer for over 10 this is my first independently branded piece. On top of that it's a lot less work for me to ship large orders to a retailer than shipping single orders all over the place. I set my wholesale pricing at the minimum price where i was comfortable moving the product, that scales up to the retail cost based on a long standing model that I wasn't really trying to buck with my initial launch.
Aside from some fancy machines i am still basically a 1 man show, i am designing, sculpting, prototyping, sourcing, producing, doing secondary cleanup, signing and numbering, packing, marketing, dealing with all the support accounts (visa, amex, web services, printers, shippers, etc.) processing orders, shipping and customer service. If i broke down my margin on these pieces and looked at it as an hourly wage, I'd quit tomorrow. That is without considering the equipment i purchased to start the project or any overhead for rent or utilities.
Collectors are buying exclusivity and art, in this case i am both the artist and manufacturer. In my current situation the only projects that make even a little bit of financial sense are those of small volume <1000 pieces with high margin. Ultimately it would be fantastic if i could expand my capabilities and my Brand in a way that would help bring the cost down and volume up. Right now it is what it is and i completely understand the shock at my pricing if you're unfamiliar with the market.
I spent a portion of my university education in industrial design, unfortunately I had to drop out because of medical bills from our first child. But loved the time for what I did learn, and has been a big help in my product design.
Anyway really great that you are taking it all on. And I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor. I am sure it will work out well for you. Sorry if my previous comment came off sounding snooty.
You should check out my instructable about how I built some manufacturing machines. Maybe you'll find some inspiration to help streamline your process even more. or at the very least may be interesting.
Also I really liked the design of your website. Very nice.
I have already seen your instructable (and voted for it), i think it's fantastic. Beyond being a good example of how to automate or make something real, it is an excellent example of using these tools (3-d printers, cnc machines, laser cutters, etc.) that have become fetishized as a product as part of a process to create another tool that is part of another process... was that too rambling? did it make sense?
aside from my own personal toy factory, i get to spend a lot of time in larger more traditional factories. I am obsessed with automation and efficiencies and have had a lot of opportunities to design machinery and systems to ad efficiency to production unfortunately those are not exclusively my personal work so i can not share them here.
That whole mindset definitely lent to the Ice Scream Man project, if i hadn't been able to think of the entire process as a system i'm not sure it would have ever made it past a prototype.
Thanks for the compliments on the site, the graphics were done by my good friend David http://www.davidayllon.com/