INTRODUCTION
The Arctic Sombrero is a replacement lid for most 30-ounce stainless steel tumblers which enables the user to “covertly” drink a canned beverage. Any 12-ounce canned beverage, from soda to beer, clicks into the Acrtic Sombrero lid. And, when the tumbler is filled with ice water, the can is chilled. The lid is sealed and has “hydra port drinking channel” to prevent the water from mixing with and diluting the canned beverage.
At Primary, we helped transform the Arctic Sombrero from a conceptual model to a final design ready for production. Our rapid prototyping service enabled us to test several iterations and various materials to fine tune the product. Ultimately, we used our additive technologies to not only prove their concept but also finalize a functional design. Our ability to prototype, test, and quickly make design changes brought the Arctic Sombrero to injection molding in just a short period of time.
KEY POINTS
With the best additive technologies in the industry, we turned their conceptual model into a functioning prototype.
Functional testing of various designs and materials yielded the best design.
The Arctic Sombrero was faster to market because of our rapid prototyping with additive technologies.
THE CHALLENGE
When the creators of the Arctic Sombrero first brought their concept to us, it was a model built from a filament-based 3D printer. While the basic design for their product was complete, their first prototype was non-functional because the filament was too brittle and lacked the strength to hold a can.
In order to prove their concept, the inventors of the Arctic Sombrero turned to Primary for production-level 3D prototypes using additive technologies. We helped them transform their filament model into a functional plastic prototype.
While most of the general design work had already been completed, the creators of the Arctic Sombrero needed help fine tuning the design to fit almost any stainless-steel tumbler and integrate with all 12oz cans.
We encountered three main challenges when building the first functional prototype:
The lid needed a mechanism to hold and release any 12oz can.
The can needed to be sealed from the rest of the tumbler to prevent mixing of beverages.
The pitch of the lid had to match almost every 30oz tumbler.
THE DESIGN SOLUTION
The Mechanism
Obviously, the biggest design question for this product was how to get the lid to hold and release the can. With a snap-fit hook design, the user could click-in their can and take it out when finished.
We had to create a secure mechanism which would integrate with all 12oz cans. But not all cans are the same. So, in order to meet this challenge, our engineering lead Jacob analyzed and tested multiple cans to create the correct dimensions.
We made several iterations of just the can holder—rather than the entire lid. This allowed us to test various designs of the snap-fit mechanism without wasting materials on building a complete lid.
Our original design was comprised of hooks around the entirety of the can with limited space between each. But, upon testing this design, we discovered we were unable to remove the can without crushing it. While we kept the hook design, we eliminated extraneous ones—creating more space in-between each hook. This new design both easily secured and released any 12oz can.
The seal
Another important design consideration was that the can needed to be sealed from the rest of the tumbler. We designed a gasket which integrated with both the hook structure of the lid and with the can itself.
We also created a channel for drinking—a method of delivering the beverage without mixing with the rest of the tumbler. Because the can is held in the center of the lid, the liquid cannot be directly transported into the user’s mouth. So, we built a channel for the liquid to be safely delivered to the user while preventing cross-contamination.
The pitch
Finally, we had to design a lid which would fit into almost every 30oz tumbler. Because not all tumblers are the same, we analyzed and tested multiple types of tumblers and lids in order to create the perfect pitch on the Arctic Sombrero. Through in-house testing using various tumblers, we adjusted the pitch so that we could integrate the Arctic Sombrero with almost any 30oz tumbler.
RAPID PROTOTYPING
After finishing the initial design work, we began rapid prototyping and in-house testing. We created around fifteen iterations of the Arctic Sombrero before we perfected the design.
We used both Carbon machines and Figure 4 machines to create these prototypes. Because we have multiple additive processes and a wide array of materials, we explored and tested a variety of colors and material properties for the Arctic Sombrero.
Testing material properties for the gasket was one of the most important parts of the final design. We experimented with both SIL 30 and EPU 40 to determine which would best seal the can from the rest of the tumbler.
SIL 30 is a silicone-based material which is extremely flexible and soft with a Shore A Hardness of 35. EPU 40 is a rubber-like material which is also tear resistant and elastic but has a higher Shore A Hardness of 68. After testing gaskets in each of these materials, we determined that the properties of SIL 30 would be best suited for sealing the can from the rest of the tumbler.
Once we had a fully functional prototype, we sent them for testing with the guys at Arctic Sombrero. Luckily, they were able to test them in the perfect environment—at the beach in Mexico.
RESULTS
Once all of the functional testing, design changes, and rapid prototyping were finished, the Arctic Sombrero was ready for production. We worked closely with Falcon Plastics, the injection molding company in Brookings, SD, to ensure the design would be successful during manufacturing.
While the Arctic Sombrero was produced with injection molding, the prototyping process was much faster, efficient, and inexpensive with additive technologies. We made design changes immediately and quickly produced new prototypes. With the best design for additive manufacturing team in the industry, we transformed their concept model into a final design ready for production.
As a South Dakota company themselves, it was important to them that the entirety of Arctic Sombrero was sourced locally—from design to production. We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase American additive manufacturing and be a part of building such an innovative consumer product.
To purchase the Arctic Sombrero, click here.