Squeeze Out Another Few Texts Thanks to 3D Printing

As soon as cell phones became a commonly used and carried item, movies and TV began trying to manufacture reasons for them not to work in an emergency. I call this the “No Reception” trope, and I’m sure you can think of at least one instance of it occurring. With the aid of 3D printing, the folks in Hollywood may have to cross low power off their list of possibilities.

Straight out of London, the Nipper is an emergency recharging device for your cell phone or mobile device. The Nipper currently exists as a Kickstarter where it has already met its meager $9,292 (an oddly specific number) goal. The emergency device was developed and rapid prototyped in part due to the availability of additive manufacturing (AM).

The Nipper is an extremely small recharger meant to fit on a key chain or slide easily into a purse or backpack. It’s just 17 x 17 mm and weighs 10g. Honestly, I’ve seen people with larger bottle openers on their keychains than the Nipper.

The recharger works to recharge your phone using standard AA batteries, which might be available even if power is not. According to the creators, the Nipper will add 10% to your mobile device after 30 minutes of recharging and 20% additional life after about an hour. From the Kickstarter page:

The Nipper contains 3 neodynium magnets. They have the double function of holding the batteries together while at the same time making an electrical connection to the Nippers circuit board. This circuit is called a boost converter, it turns the power from the batteries into a 5v power supply to charge your phone.

The outer body of the Nipper was 3D printed for the prototyping phase, and AM will be used in some instances for final production. As is the case for other simple, plastic parts, the choice between AM or injection molding comes down to volume. Currently, it’s simpler and less expensive to use injection molding for large volumes, but if a customer desires a custom product, building it using AM is more cost effective.

The Kickstarter price for the no frills version of the Nipper is $23, which seems reasonable by the standards of mobile gadgetry. Below you’ll find the Kickstarter video.

Source: Kickstarter