BOSEbuild

BOSEbuild is able to create 3D printed parts for new products, which saves money and increases efficiency during testing phases.

Using Ultimaker printers, BOSEbuild, a division of Bose Corporation, was able to produce a crucial prototyped part for their BOSEbuild Headphones. Having printers in-house allowed for extensive testing in early design stages, reduced time spent between iterations, saved money, and allowed the team to collect valuable data about product usability.

“We needed a way to quickly churn out more parts for prototyping. Our Ultimaker machines easily handled printing half a dozen in different colours, which allowed everyone on the team to test the headphones for design, function, and usability.”

Joe Titlow, Head of Sales and Marketing at BOSEbuild

 BOSEbuild, a division of Bose Corporation – Introduction

Within the emerging business division of Bose, the BOSEbuild team of engineers, operations, finance, and marketing professionals works to create high-quality products that provide invaluable experiences for children. These products allow children to explore the science behind speakers and headphones, with build-it-yourself kits that educate young minds about the speed of sound and how to maintain healthy hearing. As the BOSEbuild team set out to design their BOSEbuild Headphones, they quickly realized that the yokes, which attached to the ear cups, were a vital part of early product testing and required multiple iterations.

After initially using the Bose prototyping service to create the yoke, the BOSEbuild team saw a need for multiple yokes that would enable product testing across multiple departments. The solution of 3D printing not only saved them about $30 per part, but it also cut down on waiting time. Instead of waiting three days, the BOSEbuild team had a new yoke in three hours. With Ultimaker on hand, they could create essential prototyped parts quickly and efficiently for testing by the acoustics team, the app team, and the firmware team, expediting early development and design processes.

Challenge

Although they initially used the Bose prototyping service to create their master part, the BOSEbuild team realized they would need more than one yoke to more efficiently test their product. They needed a way to create headphones that looked and felt like the desired end product, with full functionality to work with other parts.

Solution

With the addition of two Ultimaker 3D printers, they were able to create yokes that were flexible enough to survive testing by the app team, firmware team, and acoustics team. With the time saved by incorporating Ultimaker into their workflow, the BOSEbuild team could focus on results while creating the best products possible.

Results

According to Joe Titlow, Head of Sales and Marketing at BOSEbuild, “We needed a way to quickly churn out more parts for prototyping. Our Ultimaker machines easily handled printing half a dozen in different colors, which allowed everyone on the team to test the headphones for design, function, and usability.”