
Case Study | Chinese Custom Headphone Manufacturer Chooses EnvisionTEC for a Superior Fit and Finish
UFOEAR is a high-end headphone brand created by China-based DongGuan City Broad 3D Technology Co., Ltd. (Broad Technology) in March 2018.
UFOEAR headphones are known for providing high-resolution sound and have a limited production of 2000 units worldwide. UFOEAR headphones are designed to deliver incredibly rich, high-resolution live sound, with high separation of instruments.
The only issue with UFOEAR headphones was its ‘in-ear’ design, which was a tight fit; The company solves this problem through its unique ergonomic design that hooks into the ear perfectly without gripping tightly. Additionally, the earphone tube design is slightly upturned to adapt to the ear canal.
Why 3D printing?
The production of custom headphones using traditional manufacturing techniques would normally be a time-consuming activity, and it also has some restrictions. It was not an easy task for the company to manufacture multiple complex pieces. Each part needs to be molded, finished, and assembled. Additionally, with custom pieces, the molds need to be adjusted for the individual that will be using them.
This is where 3D Printing can step in to take over. The company adopted a 3D printing solution in 2010. Broad technologies knew that this innovative technology was a perfect solution for producing complex parts faster, more accurately, and more cost-effectively than traditional molding and hand finishing techniques.
EnvisionTEC 3D Printer: The Solution
As a distributor of EnvisionTEC 3D printing solutions, Broad Technology knew that the use of the EnvisionTEC 3D printing materials and printers combined with digital design and its own in house production processes would result in the costs being driven down, making it a more feasible option to general manufacturing use.
The advancement in 3D printing allowed Broad Technology’s in house team to produce the desired designs digitally before they are produced using both EnvisionTEC Perfactory series 3D printers and audiology focused materials.
Artificial Intelligence implemented Digital Light Processing 3D printer, delivering high quality and ultra-accurate production-grade 3D parts using 4k projector. Envision TEC Perfactory P4k is a next-generation 3D printer for printing smoothest production-grade 3D parts.
For manufacturing UFOEAR earphones, Board Technology’s uses EnvisionTEC’s E-Shell series materials. The EnvisionTEC E-Shell series material has been designed especially for applications in the Hearing Aid industries and is distinguished for rigidity and durableness. It is CE certified and Class-IIa biocompatible according to ISO 10993 (Medical Product Law) for Hearing Aid shells and otoplasty; it also meets China’s strict material certification standards. E-Shell produces strong, light, tough, water-resistant parts, suitable for the hearing aid and earphone industries.
The use of 3D printing solution by Broad Technology’s helped them reduce the time required to produce quality earphone shells, from investigations in-house it is estimated it has reduced the time to manufacture parts from 130 minutes down to an impressive 60minutes.
The use of a 3D printing solution has also allowed for the production of extremely complex shapes and designs that would have been difficult to achieve or even impossible using traditional manufacturing techniques. Even changes to designs are also fast and simple.
The Future
Together with being an authorized distributor of EnvisionTEC 3D printers and materials, Broad technology acts as a bureau and provides solutions such as design and manufacturing to its customers.
Now that a lot of time is saved by precise prototyping using 3D printing, Broad Technology may put more effort into getting things done the right way in lesser time. The company continues to push the boundaries of 3D printing, finding ways in which the technology can be used across different industries to speed up production and improve product design. The business continues to expand and support businesses across China, helping them to refine their processes and find the best solutions for their clients.
“We can not only be limited to equipment sales and 3D printing services but develop more 3D printing applications to help more industries use 3D technology to improve the ability of product development, design, and production.” – David Ling, Founder, Broad Technology.