Originally Published: December 2011

At the start of my last year studying design, I was given a 3 week individual project to design a camping cup. The cup was to have superior stability for unusual and rough situations. The main focus of this project however was the manufacturability of it. It had to be designed out of 3 or less parts and be injection moulded on a specific type of machine. We were asked to consider all the limitations of the process and to create detailed engineering drawings of the product.

This project was a really good insight into the amount of technical problems and considerations which are involved in creating a real world product. I was very insistent on having a specifically curved shaped for the main section. Even though this would have a big undercut problem if it was to be made out of one part. I explored various ways of producing this and settled on 2 parts which would be ultrasonic welded together, to escape this problem.

I created a rapid prototype model of my product which really helped to prove I had the right dimensions and shape.

The final design is a cup where the lid can be screwed on the top or bottom to add extra stability. All the parts are made out of ABS and I included a simple diagram of how the mould would come apart from the larger section. As it is not always apparent and proves the principle. The mould has different surface finishes to create a textured surface under the curved feature which adds a little defining detail to the design.