Search

Products and Services Used

Summary

Chris Milnes had never 3D printed anything when he invented an iPhone accessory he desperately needed. While the Square credit card reader makes his life easier as a business owner, it tends to spin and twist during use. His simple design, the Square Helper, connects the Square unit to an iPhone or iPad and prevents it from twisting, saving the merchant time and hassle.

Chris Milnes had never 3D printed anything when he invented an iPhone accessory he desperately needed. While the Square credit card reader makes his life easier as a business owner, it tends to spin and twist during use. His simple design, the Square Helper, connects the Square unit to an iPhone or iPad and prevents it from twisting, saving the merchant time and hassle.

With his MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, Chris has a factory on his desk for making high-resolution, durable units. Even better, the Square Helper accessory is selling for a big profit, without any need for injection molding. Chris’s story is a great example of how a MakerBot can empower anyone with an idea to become an inventor, a manufacturer, and an entrepreneur.

Other Product Design Case Studies

  • New Balance TripleCell 3D printing production system

    Leading the Future of Performance Products With Customized Manufacturing
    Read More
  • Design firm 3D prints to refine ideas with speed

    “3D printing prototypes gives us the ability to fail fast. We can produce multiple design iterations quickly and...
    Read More
  • Gillette Uses 3D Printing to Unlock Consumer Personalization

    Gillette Uses 3D Printing to Unlock Consumer Personalization
    Read More
  • Thinglab Client Use Zortrax Print Farm to Manufacture Lamps

    LimeLite introduced three lighting collections made on Zortrax 3D printers.
    Read More
  • Tinta's amazing range of child safe crayons

    Thinglab Stories | Tinta Crayons

    With the help of Thinglab 3D Printing Services team, and the Formlabs Form 2, Tinta Crayons were able...
    Read More
  • Hooked on Sound: 3D Printed Headphones

    Hooke Audio envisions a hi-fi future–achieved by using binaural recording technologies that seep into our everyday lives, aiming...
    Read More
  • NinjaFlex Print Withstands Multiple Underwater SCUBA Tests

    Jim Rouse and his team at Boudlo Forge Ltd in Guernsey, have created print samples to test in...
    Read More
  • MakerBot Stories | ZBoard

    Here’s a rad example of ingenuity helped by a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer! Geoff Larson and...
    Read More
  • MakerBot Stories | Square Helper

    Chris Milnes had never 3D printed anything when he invented an iPhone accessory he desperately needed. While the...
    Read More
  • MakerBot Stories | Rapid Prototyping at Kisi

    Kisi is a startup that turns your smartphone into a keycard and lets you send keys over email...
    Read More
  • Makerbot Stories | Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

    MakerBot® collaborated with design teams from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to create the Trellis Collection, a set of...
    Read More
  • Makerbot Stories | GE FirstBuild

    Once GE FirstBuild added MakerBot® Replicator® 3D Printers to their toolkit, they were able to prototype and test...
    Read More
  • 3D Scanning Stories | Life support systems of astronauts

    Recently, Artec employees visited NPP Zvezda, a unique enterprise in Russia, which produces individual life-support systems for pilots...
    Read More
  • MakerBot Stories | Designing Innovative Products in a Tiny Space

    Bill Phelps has a home office in Tarrytown, NY, a 35-minute train ride from midtown Manhattan. It occupies...
    Read More
  • MakerBot Stories | Orbotix Smart Toys

    Five years ago, Ian Bernstein was working at a robotics company and dreaming of controlling robots with his...
    Read More
  • 3D Design Stories | Brooks: From 2D to 3D design with MODO

    After more than a century in the business and a history of turning out the best performing running...
    Read More