Engineering the multiplier

Disciplines

Mechanical design
prototyping
design for manufacture

Mayku set out to make pressure forming technology more accessible much like the evolution of 3D printing has done, bringing a process usually reserved for factories onto the desktop. The goal was to create the world’s first consumer pressure former, capable of producing high-detail polymer parts that rival injection moulding in resolution, all in under ten minutes. Beta was brought in to take Teenage Engineering’s exterior design and engineer it into a fully functional, production-ready machine.

INtroduction

Working alongside Mayku and Teenage Engineering, we developed a series of prototypes to prove the concept and stress-test the mechanics. Early rigs were built to show that forming under four atmospheres of pressure could be achieved within a compact desktop format. As development progressed, we refined the lift mechanism, safety locking system, and bed structure to deal with the extreme pressures.

prototyping

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, and known for some of the most iconic designs in consumer tech, Teenage Engineering collaborated with Mayku on the industrial design for the Multiplier. They were responsible for the overall exterior form, all user touch points, and a bespoke user interface. Check out more of their work here

Teenage engineering

Arranging many individual components within the internal systems for air control, chamber heating, and the lock & release mechanisms for lid and material retention ring proved a challenge within a compact form. Ensuring easy one handed lid lift called for numerous different rounds of lifting mechanisms, finally settling for gas struts to counterbalance the weight of the lid and dome assemblies within.

Testing

Once there was a fully functioning prototype, the design was refined for manufacture. A unibody chassis design was implemented to cut down on weight, reduce part count and simplify assembly. Working closely with Mayku’s chosen manufacturer, several detailed CAD revisions were produced for pre-production samples to be made and tested. Beta tested various pre-tooling pre-production prototypes to ensure the machine performed correctly and was fully optimised for mass manufacture.