The Ogle Models team was recently called on to create a British Telecom (BT) cordless phone and base charger for the industrial design firm Alloy. The BT DECT cordless telephone model required intricate detailing for the buttons, as well as integrated lighting for the base charger. In order to produce these complex details, Ogle Models utilized stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, which allowed them to produce intricate measurements as small as ±0.1 mm per 100 mm.
“After paying a visit to Ogle, we were impressed by the range of equipment, the breadth of materials and processes they were able to perform and replicate. It was a pleasure to work with Ogle, said Matt Harris, an industrial designer at Alloy. “The determination of the team to deliver exactly what we wanted, and the openness to try new or different processes, is what sets them apart from others.”
Both the phone and charger base have an incredibly sleek and modern design. The BT DECT cordless phone has a matte black finish, with smooth edges and intricate details for the speaker component and numbers. The tilted base charger has a metallic look, and props up the charging phone at an angle. To achieve this finish, Ogle Models tried out multiple approaches until they found the brush metal effect that Alloy was aiming for. According to Dave Bennion, the marketing and sales director at Ogle, the team utilized several processes that have never been used on phones before.
The project is certainly a major accomplishment for the Ogle team, as BT is one of the world’s most renowned communications services companies, and is used throughout the UK and in 180 other countries. The Letchworth prototyping company has shown that by applying newfound finishing techniques to high quality 3D printed objects, it’s possible to obtain the appearance of a sleek and modern product. Discuss further in the 3D Printed BT Phone forum over at 3DPB.com.
[Source: Ogle Models]