{"id":2193,"date":"2013-07-24T13:32:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T13:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/archives\/2193-rocket-cups-launch-into-stores.html"},"modified":"2014-07-03T17:29:18","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T17:29:18","slug":"rocket-cups-launch-into-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/rocket-cups-launch-into-stores","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Cups Launch into Stores"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last July, we saw Isohedral’s<\/a> Rocket Espresso Cup<\/a> go viral<\/a>. We were excited about the espresso cups, and clearly we weren’t the only ones! The espresso cups also caught the attention of Fred, of Fred and Friends<\/a>, and now, a year later, a mass produced version the cups will be hitting shelves worldwide. We are very happy that Shapeways was able to play a part in the process, and we asked Craig a few questions about his journey from idea to mass market product.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

Check out the interview below!<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When did you first come up with the rocket cup?<\/strong> <\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/span>We have an espresso machine in my lab at the University of
\nWaterloo.  One day last spring I accidentally snapped the handle off of
\none of the cups in the lab.  In that moment of guilt I saw an opportunity!
\n I had been searching for a small 3D “canvas” upon which to play
\nwith new designs, and I was particularly intrigued by Shapeways’ ability to
\nprint in ceramic.  The space of espresso cups seemed just right for
\nexperimentation.  The rocket cup design arose naturally during the
\ndoodling session that followed, and was relatively easy to build as a 3D model,
\ndespite my meagre skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

What was your design process like? <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

There wasn’t much to it, really.  My very first
\npen-and-paper doodle laid down the basic design: a cup shaped like the lower
\npart of a rocket ship, resting on three fins.  The cup body is made from
\nan ellipsoid and a paraboloid, two well-known mathematical shapes.  Once I
\nstarted drawing the fins I homed in on a short, squat, “cute” design
\nthat I thought would be more fun.  I struggled to learn the software so
\nthat I could round off edges (and modified the whole design later, based on
\nfeedback from Shapeways).  I also needed to make sure the cup would
\nphysically fit in our lab’s espresso machine.  I was at home at the time,
\nbut my grad student helpfully sent me measurements by email.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Was this project very different from the way you usually
\nwork? <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Absolutely!  Nearly all of my computer graphics work is
\ntwo-dimensional, so doing anything 3D feels unusual.  Even in past
\nexperiments with 3D printing (such as my spherical Islamic star patterns<\/a>, or
\nthe Bunny-Bunny<\/a>, created in collaboration with Henry Segerman), I wrote custom
\nsoftware to generate models triangle by triangle.  This process was much
\nmore about getting the right design than about understanding the mathematical
\nand algorithmic structure of the problem.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

What was your favorite part of the process? <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

At the concept stage I really enjoyed brainstorming new cup
\nideas, trying hard to think as broadly and wildly as possible within the
\nconstraints of the material and printing process. At the modelling stage I
\nenjoyed shaping the fins to achieve the right amount of cuteness.  But of
\ncourse, my favourite part of the whole process was taking the cup prototype to
\nmy local coffee shop and asking them to serve me an espresso in it!  More
\nthan anything else, that made it feel real.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Did you ever expect the viral success that the rocket cups
\nhad? <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

How could I?  It’s clear that I was lucky to attract the
\nattention of a small number of influential blogs (including the Shapeways blog)
\nat the right time.  Sure, I took steps to facilitate public attention,
\nlike taking nice photographs and posting them online, but I can’t manufacture a
\nviral success — I can only be swept up into it.  In the end I designed
\nsomething that *I* would like, and was surprised and overjoyed to find that
\nothers liked it too.<\/font><\/span> <\/p>\n

How and when did you start working with Fred? <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Fred sent me an email last August expressing an interest in
\nlicensing the cup design.  (He had previously tried contacting me on
\nShapeways, but I wasn’t aware at the time that I had a private inbox filling up
\nwith messages!)  The rocket cup seemed like a natural product for
\ncommercialization, so I jumped at the opportunity.  Aside from signing the
\ncontract and sending over a prototype cup, I wasn’t involved in the rest of the
\nmagic — Fred handled product development and packaging design, and now
\nmarketing, distribution, and all the other message details of the retail world.
\n It’s always fun when friends tell me they’ve seen the cup for sale in
\nstores.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, what was your favorite part of the journey?<\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

As a professor, the outcome of my work is usually a published
\nresearch paper, in which a new idea or algorithm is demonstrated in principle.
\n We’re lucky if we have the time and resources to produce a polished piece
\nof software, or a functional artifact.  That’s why it has been so
\nsatisfying to take an idea and push it all the way through the design process,
\nfrom a rough sketch in a notebook to a product on a store shelf.  The fact
\nthat I can use that design to consume one of my favourite beverages is just a
\nbonus.<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Congratulations Craig! We can’t wait to see in stores! <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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