Ignitec uses Stratasys 3D printing technology to develop Audiowings, a luxury, smart headphone that wirelessly connects to user's online music via mobile networks
Audiowings awarded 'People's Award' in Sir Richard Branson's annual 'Pitch to Rich' competition
Stratasys Ltd.(Nasdaq: SSYS), a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, today announced that British product design house, Ignitec, has designed and manufactured a new generation of wireless headphones for technology start-up and luxury goods company Audiowings, using its Stratasys Objet30 Pro 3D Printer.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140702/694479-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140702/694479-b )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140702/694479-c )
Named after the company, Audiowings is a luxury audio headphone that synchronizes directly with online music services, such as Spotify, enabling users to listen to their favorite music on-the-go, without the burden of headphone cables. As well as featuring a built-in storage system, the device also connects wirelessly to the Internet using 3/4G or WiFi, giving users the ability to plug into YouTube and enjoy music from around the world.
In a bid to receive funding, the first fully 3D printed Audiowings prototype was entered into Sir Richard Branson's 'Pitch to Rich' 2014 competition. The company has since been awarded the 'People's Award', receiving a prestigious mentoring program from some of the world's leading business minds. Audiowings is currently finalizing its plans to enter the retail market.
"When we were first approached with the concept of Audiowings and briefed on its prototyping requirements, we instantly knew that 3D printing would be the answer," explains Ben Mazur, Director of Ignitec. "Our Stratasys Objet30 Pro 3D Printer was the obvious choice since it has the ability to produce products on demand that depict the accuracy and surface quality of injection molding."
Stratasys' PolyJet-based 3D printing technology features 16 micron accuracy, producing parts that combine high definition with a smooth surface finish, crucial in the development of high quality prototypes.
"Quality is paramount and is the driving force behind all of our projects," continues Mazur. "We printed the headphones in a durable rigid opaque grey material (VeroGrey), not only enabling us to perfect the look and feel, but also perform ergonomic testing with the user's comfortability- always integral to this development."
Ignitec's move towards Stratasys' PolyJet 3D printing technology aimed to increase the precision of its prototype parts, as well as reduce its prototyping costs and development cycle times. Equipped with a Stratasys Objet30 Pro 3D Printer from UK reseller Stanford Marsh Group, the company has since seen a significant reduction in the time required to 3D print and hand-finish its prototypes parts.
"Since introducing Stratasys 3D printing into our work flow, we have cut our finishing time by more than 50% due to the reduction of support material removal required compared to our previous SLA system," explains Mazur. "We have also seen a surge in client interest due to the fact that we can now produce prototype parts with a short turnaround time, while retaining the highest quality and remaining cost effective. Being able to offer end-use parts prior to manufacturing is something which is very valuable to our clients and takes away a lot of risk and guess work."
Andy Middleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA at Stratasys, concludes: "In today's economy, product designers are under extreme pressure to take innovation and quickly turn it into a money-making product. Ignitec is a great example of how our PolyJet 3D printing technology is empowering these designers to deliver first class prototypes to their clients with the precision and detail of the final product. As such, product development processes are shortening and fantastic products like Audiowings are reaching the market faster than ever before."
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. and Rehovot, Israel, is a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions. The company's patented FDM®, PolyJet®, and WDM™ 3D Printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the company operates the RedEye digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1900 employees, holds over 550 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 25 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at http://www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com
Stratasys and Objet are registered trademarks, andConnex, PolyJet and Fortus are trademarks of Stratasys Ltd and or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included or incorporated by reference in this press may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "believe," "should," "intend," "project" or other similar words, but are not the only way these statements are identified. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the company's objectives, plans and strategies, statements regarding the expected performance and impact of our products, statements that contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition (including, with respect to the MakerBot acquisition) and all statements (other than statements of historical facts) that address activities, events or developments that the company intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The company has based these forward-looking statements on assumptions and assessments made by its management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Important factors that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, among other things: the company's ability to efficiently and successfully integrate the operations of Stratasys, Inc. and Objet Ltd. after their merger as well as MakerBot after its acquisition and to successfully put in place and execute an effective post-merger integration plans; the overall global economic environment; the impact of competition and new technologies; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the company operates; projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the company's strategy; government regulations and approvals; changes in customers' budgeting priorities; litigation and regulatory proceedings; and those factors referred to under "Risk Factors", "Information on the Company", "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects", and generally in the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in other reports that the company has filed with the SEC. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in the company's SEC reports, which are designed to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Attention Editors, if you publish reader-contact information, please use:
- USA +1-877-489-9449
- Europe/Middle East/Africa +49-7229-7772-0
- Asia Pacific +852-39448888
Stratasys Media Contacts
USA
Aaron Masterson
Weber Shandwick
Tel. +1-952-346-6258
Email Contact
Europe
