The goal–design a better cooler; a cooler that will be the world’s most diverse, multi-purpose cooler. For UK start-up Nipi Smart Cooler, they may have succeeded.

Nipi is a solar-panel-powered cooler offering ice retention for up to six days and is packed with a host of features including a charging hub, internal and external LED lighting, a safe deposit, cup holders and chopping board. “But to fulfill this goal, 3D printing was crucial in quickly converting Nipi from a concept into a working product, noted Luke Guttery, product design lead at Nipi Smart Cooler.

Guttery was impressed with how quickly his team could go from an idea on a piece of paper to a fully functional prototype that could be tested outdoors. “Without 3D printing, this simply would not have been achievable in the given timeframe. In just a few days we had already produced the main body in UV resistant materials to test the solar panels in the sun, and large-scale over-molded wheels with rigid interiors and rubber treads. Using this technology, we were able to develop a final working prototype in a just under a week, whereas with traditional manufacturing it would be closer to a month. Employed throughout product development, 3D printing helped the Nipi team develop a functional prototype 75% faster than using traditional manufacturing methods.

“For start-ups like us,” continued Guttery, “I cannot overemphasize how important it is to quickly get to a stage where you can feasibly say whether your idea could be a viable product. Having access to this technology gives us the ability to make that decision faster than ever before.”

To realize the initial concept design as a 100% working prototype, Nipi turned to UK 3D printing service provider, 3D Print Bureau. Using both Stratasys’ FDM and PolyJet 3D printing systems, the company produced a number of fully functional parts for the cooler to eliminate problematic design issues before committing to final manufacturing.

With outdoor enthusiasts its core target audience, prototyping the main body of the smart cooler required a material that could endure the continued exposure to sunlight. Using Stratasys’ superior UV and heat resistant ASA thermoplastic material, 3D Print Bureau produced a working prototype that could support the solar panel testing required in multiple outdoor environments. This enabled the Nipi team to make the design iterations required to ensure the cooler’s fit-for-purpose for customers.

Stratasys multi-material 3D printing was used to produce over- molded parts, such as the handles and large tires that required accurate combinations of rigid and rubber-like materials. With the ability to 3D print these multi-material parts in a single build, as well as the capability to mix materials on-the-fly to create new material properties, 3D Print Bureau quickly produced several variations in different levels of hardness for the Nipi team to test.

“Using the best of each of Stratasys’ 3D printing technologies was integral to getting a fully-functional, test-worthy prototype to the Nipi team,” said Gary Miller, Managing Director of 3D Print Bureau. “With the ASA material, we developed a fade-resistant prototype for outdoor use. Using multi-material 3D printing, we could accurately validate the pull of the handle and its weight-bearing ability, as well as define the exact tire tread required before moving to final production. In fact, the ability to over-mold using 3D printing was integral as it helped us determine the shape, thickness and style of the tread you see on Nipi today.”

Andy Middleton, President of Stratasys EMEA, concluded: “For many start-ups with great ideas, limited capital to supplement costly and time-consuming traditional manufacturing is often the reason some innovations fail to reach the marketplace. 3D printing grants product designers the means to quickly and cost-effectively determine whether their idea can function and perform as intended, and Nipi is the perfect example.”

Stratasys Ltd.
www.stratasys.com