designs · 2015
Multicard Holder Design
Card holders in general must be durable and efficient. This card holder was designed to improve upon the durability and appeal of existing card holders. This project was prototyped multiple times before its final iteration.
The Approach
The manufacturing process depends on the type of material chosen. In the case of polycarbonate, injection moulding can be used. It provides a cheaper but lower-quality alternative to metal or carbon fibre. Metal would be shaped using production processes such as stamping (metalworking), which could also be mass-produced rather cheaply with a fairly high quality of product. Carbon fibre can be produced using compression moulding, allowing for a high-quality, highly durable product at higher cost.
Key Takeaways
01
Manufacturing Material
Polycarbonate plastic, metal, carbon fibre, or a hybrid of these materials can be used to make the card holder depending on the cost factor. These materials were chosen for their strength and durability. Polycarbonate is known for being lightweight yet durable and cheaper. Metal provides extra durability and strength while carbon fibre provides extreme lightness and strength along with a good-looking design.
02
Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process depends on the type of material chosen. In the case of polycarbonate, injection moulding can be used. It provides a cheaper but lower-quality alternative to metal or carbon fibre. Metal would be shaped using production processes such as stamping (metalworking), which could also be mass-produced rather cheaply with a fairly high quality of product. Carbon fibre can be produced using compression moulding, allowing for a high-quality, highly durable product at higher cost.
03
Failure Mode
The hinge part of the card holder undergoes more stress than the other parts and thus may be prone to snapping. The fix would be to reinforce the model with metal strips or manufacture it with a more durable material such as carbon fibre. In the 3D-printed prototype, heat-shrinkage caused cards not fitting comfortably, which would not be a problem in the final design due to a different manufacturing process.
04
Benefits of Redesign
Cards will last longer as they are not required to be bent while being placed in and removed from the holder. The design also uses less material, resulting in cheaper mass production.
Multicard holder AR preview
Techniques
- ✓Reverse Engineering
- ✓Computer Aided Design
- ✓3D Printing
- ✓Product Design
- ✓Augmented Reality
Technologies
- ✓PTC Creo
- ✓Autodesk AutoCAD
- ✓Adobe Dimension