A 3D Printed Nintendo Switch Accessory
This project was my first true success in design. My collaboration in the vaporizer industry with Innokin Technology Co., Ltd. was still finding its footing, and it was in this design that I discovered I had the chops to design effectively, that something that came from my head could truly make an impact. This would buoy me through future challenges as my career found its footing.
Following the FFF iteration, I decided to try my hand at mold design. In 2018, I was considering an IndieGoGo campaign to mass produce this part with injection molding. I was new to polymer injection molding, and wasn’t really aware that most of the modifications necessary for the part to be mass produced would be made by a contract manufacturer. I decided to attempt to design a mold using FFF printers and cast using epoxy resin.
Ultimately I did get a shot to work with substantial post processing, however I hadn’t understood the requirements for shrink factor in the design process. In a mixed blessing, my freelancing work continued strong and I did not pursue the IndieGoGo campaign.
I designed this piece in 2017 on the heels of the Nintendo Switch release earlier that year. This design went through several iterations, the first of which was done in Rhino 3D. Rhino 3D is a direct editing surface modeling software. It is a deeply robust software and where I learned the hard way about several lessons about design intent.
I had designed this part to fit inside of a popular travel case, which I myself had. The Joy-Cons have a latching mechanism which needed to snap into place, and the piece needed a snug fit on the sliding rails to minimize flex.
The Switcherang is so thin because the part needed to fit in such a thin case; that thinness requirement left little space for fingers to wrap around, and thus the empty space in the middle. It reminded me of a boomerang, hence the name Switcherang.
This piece was downloaded over 10,000 times across a handful of 3D print file hosting websites. Encouraged by this success, I thought to attempt a mass production while freelancing.
Later revisions of this piece were made in Fusion 360 in 2018 and 2019. The Rhino 3D iterations had required a lot of trial and error, as I had designed this piece to use FFF 3D printing. I hadn’t quite discovered how to check the quality of the prints I was getting, nor how to maximize the strengths and weaknesses of the manufacturing process.
When I came to revise this product in Fusion 360, I was substantially better equipped to recreate and redesign the part. I had moved on to a feature-based parametric solid modeler and had worked on a great variety of client projects in the meantime.
