1
What ?
Each year, over one billion plastic phone cases are manufactured. The vast majority of which are not biodegradable and will be disposed of in a landfill within 21 months of purchase. Since 2007, Apple has released a new phone each year. This is one of the main problems as each new model requires a new phone case.
The goal of this project was to design an eco-friendly, high impact resistant phone case for the IPhone Xs and IPhone 13 following the Apple accessory design guidlines while always considering how to optimise designs for manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing. This case was originally 3D printed using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) but was later changed to ePLA ST as it reduced production times by 60% and is a biodegradable filament that still offers high impact resistance.
2
How ?
The case was designed using Solidworks in accordance with Apple's accessory design guidelines. After designing the case, it was 3D printed on my Anycubic 3D printer using a polylactic acid (PLA) based filament. I followed all design specifications and material selection guidelines to avoid scratching the device, be compatible with the device's temperature range, and not interfere with radio frequency performance. I also performed all recommended test procedures to validate my designs.
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3
Results
After several iterations I created the final case design for the IPhone Xs and Iphone 13.
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