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Paper Play

Paper Play

Ryan Hopkins
September 11, 2017
1 Comment

The project was designed for SLAM, a year long module working with a live client for my final year of University. The paper play is a miniature battery powered record player that uses a 4.5V 33rpm motor to directly drive the spindle which the record sits upon. The sound is amplified through a sleeve of paper with a needle attached, to flow along the grooves of the record, like a traditional vinyl player.



The product consists of a 33RPM motor and battery pack housed within an injection moulded, ABS soft polished case, produced by a high quality moulding tool design for production moulds. The Tooling mould will come in 2 sections. The motor is housed at the top of the housing, sitting vertically in a cuboid extrusion, allowing stability of the motor, where the battery pack is located underneath the housing, fitting snug into its extrusion which also holds it in place, but still gains access to the switch of the pack. Between the motor and the battery pack housing, a small tube has been designed within the model to allow the wiring of the battery and motor to join easily.

The battery pack is designed for 3 x AA batteries, fitting tightly into the bottom extrusion of the model at 48mm x78mm x20mm.

Three other components are also produced by Injection moulding, but these components do not house any electrical items and are purely designed for the form and stability.

An A6 Paper inlet is included in the Paper Play, which slots into the top of the swing arm housing, as well as a needle being stuck on the left hand side of the paper by a sticker included.

(The renders of product with the chrome and metallic finishes are purely for aesthetics, as the cost of these materials and manufacturing processes would exceed the RRP of what I was aiming for this design.)


Primarily, I sketched my initial ideas out onto paper, gathering different forms of designs to then narrow down to the most desirable design, chosen through survey to identify which would sell at market.
Once the design had been chosen, I took to Rhino 5 to design the model up in cad. Many revisions were made as contact with the client was regular.
Throughout the design process, many PLA 3D printed versions were created to test the speed of the motor, the sound quality of the paper amplifier and the dimensions of the product.

The reaction I got from the design was very positive, with many impressed with the simple use of paper amplification as well as the form of the product taking a similar design to a classic turntable swing arm.
What I have taken from this project is that costing plays a huge role when designing for a novelty brand. Having to reinvent an existing item in a fun way, without creating something complex, allowing the manufacturing process to stay to a minimum.

Contents of the Paper Play:
The paper play contains all you need to get started! (apart from 3 x AA batteries)

This box contains:
33rpm motor
Battery case
Paper Sleeve
Needle
Sticker
Plastic Swing Arm - High polished Grey ABS
Plastic Swing Arm Base - High polished Black ABS
Plastic Motor housing - High polished Black ABS
Plastic Motor Brush Head / Spindle - High polished Grey ABS

Ryan Hopkins

I'm an Undergraduate studying Product Design at Lincoln University.
My background in fine art allowed me to expand my creativity into other formats, with interests in music being shown throughout audiovisual animation, as well as being present throughout my product design projects. I enjoy all aspects of the design process, but have a passion for CAD and conceptual visualisation.

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