The resultant product is a diverse, multi-purpose cooler that is solar panel-powered, and offers ice retention of up to six days. It also features a charging hub, internal and external LED lighting, a safe deposit, cup holders and a chopping board among others.

3D printing the product was crucial in converting their concept into a working product, claimed Luke Guttery, product design lead at the company. “It’s amazing how quickly we could go from an idea on a piece of paper to a fully-functional prototype that we could test outdoors.”

Producing the large-scale over-moulded wheels with rigid interiors as well as rubber treads, and the main body in UV resistant materials to test the solar panels in the sun took only a few days. The final working prototype was developed in just under a week, as compared to traditional manufacturing methods which would have had it produced in a month, he shared.

Especially for start-ups, it is very important to get to a stage where you can feasibly say whether your idea could be a viable product, he advised.

The making of the prototype was achieved with the help of 3D Print Bureau, a UK 3D printing service provider, who used both FDM and PolyJet 3D printing solutions from Stratasys.

Start-ups with great ideas are usually limited by capital to supplement costly and time-consuming traditional manufacturing, which lead to failure, said Andy Middleton, president of Stratasys EMEA. “3D printing grants product designers the means to quickly and cost-effectively determine whether their idea can function and perform as intended, and Nipi is the perfect example.”