Theo Ford quickly produced a series of prototypes for his client: iMake3D

Theo Ford is an award-winning industrial designer based in London. He creates products for customers and needs to move quickly to keep up with their schedules. Theo runs a small workshop from his home office and has to keep budgets low. He has a small model shop set up with a 3D printer, a Mayku FormBox and other essential prototyping equipment.

“FormBox is a powerful tool in my lab. In collaboration with my 3D printer I am able to try out variations without committing to a time-consuming print or expensive outsourced manufacturing” – Theo Ford

THE CHALLENGE

Theo was commissioned by a new coworking space to design a series of bespoke furniture for their new headquarters in London. His first challenge was to create a set of chairs that would match the Scandinavian-inspired living room. The budget was limited and the client was very particular. Theo wanted to create a mockup of his furniture to bring his vision to life for the client.

THE SOLUTION

He first established a color scheme and design language for the space and began sketching out variations. Theo wanted to tease out different ideas and material finishes for the client. Time and money constraints meant that printing 10 chair variations was not an option.

After sketching out his ideas by hand, he modeled the shape of the chair in Solidworks. He then used his 3D printer to create a master model. After post-processing his print, he was ready to use FormBox to make multiple variations of his design. Theo quickly formed 10 identical copies of the chair shell, cut them out with a scalpel and sprayed each one with a different color. She used a texturizing base on some pieces. He experimented with matte and glossy finishes and tried different shades of colors and material thicknesses.

‍Theo printed a set of legs so he could show off the chair shells in all their glory. The client entered the studio and was able to see how the different finishes worked in the scale model of Theo’s space. Together they settled on a color scheme and established a collective design direction for the chair set.

COST COMPARISON

Mayku Formbox

• • Installation cost: £599

• • Part cost: £1

• • Prototyping time: 16 hours of 3D printing

• • Production time: 2 hours

External supplier

• • Installation cost: £2500+

• • Part cost: £3

• • Prototyping time: 2-3 weeks

• • Production time: 2 weeks

3D printing

• • Installation cost: £300-£4000

• • Part cost: £34

• • Prototyping time: 160 hours of 3D printing

• • Production time: 7 days

That sounds like the perfect setup for a highly efficient and agile industrial designer!

Theo Ford’s situation highlights the modern reality of independent design: the need for rapid iteration and cost-effective prototyping to meet client demands, even within a small home workshop environment.

The combination of tools he uses is particularly strategic:

1. 3D Printer: Excellent for creating complex geometries, high-detail parts, and functional prototypes in plastic. This provides flexibility and quick turnaround for testing form and fit.

2. Mayku FormBox (Desktop Vacuum Former): This is a brilliant complement to the 3D printer. Theo can use his 3D printed models (created cheaply and quickly) as master molds for the FormBox. This allows him to rapidly create:

   • Low-volume casings or enclosures in various materials (like PETG or HIPS).

   • Packaging prototypes for his final product designs.

   • Simple molds for casting in materials like plaster, concrete, or resin.

This setup allows Theo to maintain a low budget while achieving the speed and versatility needed to produce professional-grade models and prototypes without relying on expensive, slow external vendors.