Mayku Mutiplier
Mayku has brought pressure forming to the desktop with the new Mayku Multiplier. With the success of their FormBox, the Multiplier is the next generation of desktop manufacturing.
The Multiplier can create thermoformed polymer parts quickly, efficiently, and with incredible precision and detail, qualities usually associated with injection moulded parts. From start to finish, you can produce a form in under 10 minutes utilising heat and 4 atmospheres of pressure.
The Brief
Working alongside Mayku and teenage engineering to design the first ever desktop pressure former, Beta took the external industrial design from teenage engineering, producing a fully operational machine.
Working on several prototypes, from initial proof of concept test rigs to pre-production samples, Beta engineered innovative mechanisms and produced CAD data to liaise with Mayku’s manufacturer, ensuring the product was ready for production
Working on several prototypes, from initial proof of concept test rigs to pre-production samples, Beta engineered innovative mechanisms and produced CAD data to liaise with Mayku’s manufacturer, ensuring the product was ready for production
teenage engineeering
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.
They were responsible for the overall exterior form, all user touch points, and a bespoke user interface.
Check out more of their work here.
Prototyping
In collaboration with the Mayku team, Beta made several working prototypes and tested them until failure.
An initial prototype was created to prove that pressure forming is possible within the size constraints of a desktop machine. Once this was established, further prototypes were created to test specific aspects of the internal structure. With pressures equalling the weight of 4 Range Rovers, it was critical to test the failure point of the locking pins and bed thickness. The lift mechanism and locking levers also needed refinement due to the weight, size and forces involved in the operation.
An initial prototype was created to prove that pressure forming is possible within the size constraints of a desktop machine. Once this was established, further prototypes were created to test specific aspects of the internal structure. With pressures equalling the weight of 4 Range Rovers, it was critical to test the failure point of the locking pins and bed thickness. The lift mechanism and locking levers also needed refinement due to the weight, size and forces involved in the operation.
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.
Concept to Production
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.
It was an achievement for everyone involved to receive the first off-tool samples, ready for testing and carrying out user trials.
