The ReMotion Knee, a low cost prosthetic knee joint, is the latest winner of the Cool Idea! Award from Proto Labs, the world’s fastest manufacturer of CNC machined and injection moulded parts.
Proto Labs launched the Cool Idea! Award in 2011 to give product designers the opportunity to bring their innovations to life by presenting up to $250,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services to award recipients. D-Rev, designer and manufacturer of the ReMotion knee, is 2013’s first Cool Idea! recipient. Proto Labs is providing D-Rev with injection molded parts to fulfill its next round of testing.
Manufacturing transitions from CNC machining to injection moulded parts As part of the Cool Idea! Award, 100 knee joints will be injection moulded and used in field testing to ensure performance as manufacturing transitions from CNC machining to injection moulded parts. The shift is important for maintaining quality while serving large numbers of people. “We were attracted to the ReMotion Knee largely because of its mission and potential to improve the lives of thousands of people,” says Larry Lukis, founder and chief technology officer of Proto Labs. “The entire design is extremely well done, both aesthetically and functionally. Every aspect of the device has been well thought through, from the use of high quality plastics, instead of metals, to save on cost and maintenance without sacrificing performance; to the rounded edges and spring that create a more natural appearance and gait.”
Accelerating the process “With the Cool Idea! Award we are able to test the new knee design with much less risk, by only producing 100 injection molded knee joints. This is not typical for most injection moulders who require large production runs. Working with Proto Labs has significantly accelerated the project without adding risk,” says San Francisco based designer Narayan.
Unlike other product awards that recognise products after they’re in mass production and on store shelves, Proto Labs’ Cool Idea! Award is meant to help cool ideas come to life. Eligibility for the award is during the design and development stage, when innovators are too often stymied by lack of resources or funds to turn their ideas into real products. For more information about the Cool Idea! Award and how to apply visit www.protolabs.co.uk/CoolIdea
Rev is a non-profit product development company whose mission is to improve the health and incomes of people living on less than $4 per day. For more information, visit: www.d-rev.org.
You can discover the services offered by Proto Labs at the next Midest in Paris from November 19 to 22 on booth 6G109. . You can read all the articles published on Proto Labs in Eurotec here. . France and French-speaking Switzerland Proto labs Bernard Faure Savoie-Technolac 18 Allée du Lac St. André 73382 Le Bourget du Lac Cédex France Phone +33 (0) 479 65 46 50 Fax +33 (0) 479 65 46 51 [email protected] | www.protolabs.fr . Germany and German-speaking Switzerland Proto Labs Alte-Neckarelzer-Strasse 24 74821 Mosbach, Allemagne Phone: +49 (0) 6261 6436 947 [email protected] | www.protolabs.de . In the UK: [email protected] .
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