Prototyping - Model Makers Bristol / Amalgam Model Making

The Hydrant to trial at Scunthhorpe Hospital

January 11, 2013

Follow this link to see a BBC 1 video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUFAv_1m-AY&feature=youtu.be - on The Hydrant, a product which has been shortlisted for the Queens Award for Innovation and which Amalgam Modelmaking had a hand in designing. Severely bed-bound patients and individuals are faced with the very real danger of becoming dehydrated if they are unable to lift a heavy jug of water; The Hydrant, designed by Hydrate for Health, allows patients to keep themselves hydrated without the assistance of a nurse.

Additive layer manufacturing: From ‘art’ to ‘part’

January 2, 2013

EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, in conjunction with Materials and Design Exchange (MaDE), Materials KTN and Exeter University Centre for Additive Layer Manufacturing (CALM) recently held an event at Exeter University to inform businesses in the South West about the range of services and technologies available in the region. The day was organised by Phil Brownsord of EEF and John Bound of MaDE, the Materials and Design Exchange, a part of the Knowledge Transfer Network and featured speakers including Nick Grace from the RCA, Dr. Sara Flint of CALM and Amalgam’s own Mike Harvey. Apart from the various presentations which covered various aspects of Additive Layer Manufacturing and Product Development the day also included a tour of CALM’s impressive facilities with Richard Davies and James Bradbury providing demonstrations of the various processes on site. Additive layer manufacturing Often referred to simply as "Additive Manufacturing" or "AM" is a branch of 3D printing -…

Hydrate for Health shortlisted for The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 in Healthcare Innovation

November 30, 2012

Hydrate for health's The 'Hydrant' water bottled developed by Mark Moran, is a simple yet effective healthcare innovation designed to allow immobile hospital patients to keep themselves hydrated and do away with cumbersome and heavy bedside jugs of water. Amalgam Modelmaking assisted Mark in the development of the one-piece screw cap and integrated clip, central to his innovation. The prototypes were used for evaluation and testing before marketing the bottle to the healthcare industry. The product has now been short listed for The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2013 in Innovation. Head over to our work for more details on the Hydrant. Healthcare innovations such as the Hydrant are typical of the type of project undertaken by Amalgam either working directly for clients such as Mark Moran or via other design / product development companies.

Develop 3D magazine features Amalgam – twice

November 5, 2012

Amalgam director Mike Harvey features in this month's edition of Develop 3D, a publication dedicated to 3D printing, additive manufacture and prototypes. The article touches on Amalgam's involvement with the Schwinn Folding Bike and the importance of physical prototypes. Also, our client and friend Tom Lawton graced the front page with his Bubblescope, a product our makers had a hand in designing mechanisms for during the first stages of prototyping. It goes without saying that physical prototypes are enormously important to the design process. In many cases digital models simply aren't proof enough of concept - Kickstarter, which has recently launched in the UK, holds as a key policy that before seeking finance, one must present photos of a physical prototype, 3D printed or otherwise. Amalgam has a strong history of helping fledgling projects through these early stages, and right through to manufacture. Take a look through Our Work…

Safeway Hygiene Services

October 11, 2012

We are currently involved in the early stages of the design process for new products from Safeway Hygiene Services. Our designers are well equipped with a comprehensive CAD suite, years of experience and a track record of success to handle challenging projects. Head to Our Services to see some examples of our design and development work. The HHU from Safeway Hygiene Services is a hygienic hand wash device with the built-in ability to monitor and record user's washing routines, and whether the pre-programmed hand wash cycle has been completed or not. The units can be networked and linked to secure room entry systems. So far the devices have been proven to be four times more efficient than standard hand washing practices on a microbial level.

Myyfeed utilises Stereolithography, Vaccum casting and traditional model making

October 4, 2012

As a perfect example of how Stereolithography, vacuum casting and traditional model making skills are combined seamlessly at Amalgam you can't do much better than this! As seen on TV! A fantastic result on BBC Three’s Be Your Own Boss recently for Ash Reza and his Myyfeed® idea. To quote Sir Richard Branson “Bloody hell, that is brilliant!”. Myyfeed® was created in 2011 when a young mum posed a problem to her brother. She experienced great difficulties when feeding her child formula milk on the go and expressed her frustrations on the current feeding apparatus, method and process. Together with her feeding experiences as a mum and the technical creativity of Ash, the problem was solved and the Myyfeed® was born. Following an initial period of research, Ash approached Amalgam Modelmaking to fine-tune the designs and produce the first working prototypes. These were created using Stereolithography followed by vacuum casting in a combination…