Sisyphus Kinetic Art Tables Continue to ‘Draw’ Demand
August 29 2017 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award helps reduce
manufacturing complexity to keep up with growing demand
The rise of makerspaces — whether in libraries, college campuses
or out in the community — has contributed to the acceleration of
ideas and products vying for success and commercial appeal. In
thousands of these informal spaces, ideas come to life through
collaboration and support.
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Based on traditional Zen gardens, the
Sisyphus kinetic art table draws complex designs in sand beneath a
glass top. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised
nearly $2 million, the company had more than 1,000 orders to
fulfill. With the Cool Idea! Award, Sisyphus is able to scale
production and ship tables to its campaign supporters. (Photo:
Sisyphus Industries)
A recent makerspace success story, kinetic art table-maker
Sisyphus Industries began its journey as an idea brought to life in
a Minneapolis makerspace. Created by Bruce Shapiro, CEO at Sisyphus
Industries, the Sisyphus art table is seeing continued success
after raising nearly $2 million in a Kickstarter campaign in Fall
2016 — making it the crowdfunding site’s most funded project in the
Art category.
With an initial Kickstarter goal of only $50,000, Sisyphus
quickly surpassed this milestone. But with so much demand, the
company needed a manufacturing plan and is now working to deliver
more than 1,500 kinetic art tables to its global Kickstarter
backers starting now, and into 2018.
Luckily, Sisyphus Industries applied for, and was awarded, a
Proto Labs (NYSE: PRLB) Cool Idea! Award service grant. The funds
from the grant will allow Sisyphus to continue its momentum and
produce all the tables required — for both Kickstarter backers and
other customers.
“We were blown away by the reception that we received during our
Kickstarter campaign,” said Micah Roth, chief operating officer at
Sisyphus Industries. “As we started to increase our quantity, it
became apparent that more efficient manufacturing processes were
needed, and that’s when we turned to Proto Labs.”
Available in a variety of models from end tables to coffee
tables, the Sisyphus kinetic art table uses a metal ball to create
unique and complex designs in sand under a glass top. When
reviewing the project for the Cool Idea! Award, Andy MacInnis,
technical instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and Cool Idea! Award judge, remarked, “Sisyphus is a wonderful way
to lose yourself in art as it is being created.” In order to move
the ball through sand to create these mesmerizing designs, the
Sisyphus team originally planned to manufacturer several mechanical
components through machined and laser-cut plastics. However, when
demand grew and exceeded more than 1,000 orders, they realized that
partnering with Proto Labs to injection mold these parts would
bring the quality they need in the right time frame as they scaled
to meet demand.
“Without the support from Proto Labs and the Cool Idea! Award,
the table’s manufacturing complexity and costs would both go up,
but we’re now able to reduce design time and cost to bring Sisyphus
to our customers more quickly and efficiently,” added Shapiro.
With help from Proto Labs, Sisyphus will scale up production as
it moves to a larger facility this year. The team plans to produce
200-300 tables per month as they fulfill Kickstarter orders. They
will also begin to accept a new round of pre-orders as demand
continues to grow.
“Getting from an idea to a prototype and then to a sellable
product can be challenging for a lot of designers, makers and
entrepreneurs,” said Proto Labs’ founder Larry Lukis. “We are
excited to work with the Sisyphus team to help them bring their
unique product to customers and support time- and cost-efficient
production.”
To learn more about the Sisyphus art table and to see the
meditative machine in action, visit sisyphus-industries.com, or
find them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About the Proto Labs Cool Idea! AwardOffered by Proto
Labs, the Cool Idea! Award helps entrepreneurs bring innovative
products to market through grants that support product prototyping,
testing and production. For more details and to apply for a Cool
Idea! Award, go to protolabs.com/cool-idea.
About Proto LabsProto Labs is the world's fastest digital
manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume
production parts. The technology-enabled company uses advanced 3D
printing, CNC machining and injection molding technologies to
produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented
speed-to-market value for designers and engineers and an on-demand
resource throughout a product’s life cycle. Visit protolabs.com for
more information.
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Proto LabsSarah Ekenberg, 763-479-7560Public Relations
Managersarah.ekenberg@protolabs.comorMedia ContactPadilla
for Proto LabsTim Nelson, 612-455-1789tim.nelson@padillaco.com
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