Friday, September 30, 2016

Swedish headphones screws up with 3d-prototyping – New Technologies

Hörlursbranschen is in the midst of the next technology shift: the transition to wireless audio. In almost a year, the Swedish Jays worked hard with their first big headphones without the cord. During the development of 3d-printed prototypes played a crucial role in order to find the right ergonomics and feel.

When the Iphone 7 was launched, it became a major topic of conversation is not what the phone was for new features but rather what it lacked – namely, a hörlursport. Social media blew up quickly in a storm where Apple sometimes cursed, sometimes bannades.

With headphone maker Jays, the response was different. The news that Apple passed over to the wireless audio couldn’t have come at a more convenient time. In the last year, the Jays have worked hard to develop a bluetoothvariant of the headphones U-jays. Now is the fruit of this work in front of me on a table in the Jays premises.

” It has been quiet on the hörlursmarknaden a while. Now is a great technology at the time. We are convinced that Apple will push the breakthrough of wireless audio. When such a large company taking the plunge is usually the broad masses to follow, ” says Peter Cedmer, technical manager of the Jays.

To design a new pair of headphones is very much about finding the right ergonomics, durability and feel in the material. To be able to quickly test and evaluate ideas work Jays with rapid prototyping, which is the 3d printing of three-dimensional cad sketches.

” It’s one thing to see a model on a 24-inch display and another to feel it in your hand. Then we can easily test how the headphones are sitting, how much the strap will flex and the resistance of a certain mechanical part, said Jays lead designer Daniel Andersson.

Read more: "We have only seen the beginning of 3d-writers sufficiently foray"

Prototypes, that can be manufactured in a harder plastics like ABS and softer as TPE, are made by a partner to the Jays.

– How many prototypes we did with the Q-jays? It is not possible to count (laughs). We can imitate most materials with the prototypes. They are moreover so detailed that we can actually stop the real högtalardelar in them in order to make the acoustic tests, ” says Daniel Andersson.

After that the 3d sketches are sent may Jay their prototypes in two days. Each litter with 3d printing can also contain multiple versions with different designspår and materials.

– That we get the prototypes on the two days that we have time for two iterations in a week. And the sooner we can try out how something works, the faster we can move on towards a finished product, ” says Mårten Sahlén, product designer.

– Rapid prototyping represents an early phase in the development work – when we found a form that works, we go on to prototypes in SLA and silicone. But to work in this way, with 3d prototyping for rapid iterations, is absolutely critical for us, ” says Daniel Andersson.

Read more: Swedish companies to become sharper on 3d printing

But it is not only the design that has been a challenge in the development of Jays new headphones.

” Everyone understands how the wired headphones work, but it is more difficult with bluetooth. It has enabled us to contend with how we teach customers to use the headphones, ” says Mårten Sahlén.

How have you solved it?

” Among other things, by using different svepgester to pause, change the track and raise the volume. Svepgester is a way to use the gadgets that many recognize from the cell phone.

Bluetoothtekniken is a smorgasbord of possibilities. It has made that much of Jay’s work consisted in stripping away the features.

– Wireless is the future. But the technology does not need to be visible, it should just be there and work. The vast majority of customers want an experience where they do not need to reflect on how a product works. That is what good design is, ” says Daniel Andersson.

Jays

Starting year: 2006.

Makes: Headphones for mobile phones. Previous products are, for example, the A-jays series and V-jays.

registered Office: Södermalm in Stockholm.

Number of employees: 14, including four in the team that develops the new products.

Circulation: 50 Million (by 2015).

Current: U-jays wireless, bluetooth headphones that is placed at the end of the year.

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