NEVADA INVENTORS ASSOCIATION

"Education, Assistance, and

Networking for the Inventor"

The Nevada INVENTOR

Official newsletter of and by the Nevada Inventor's Association

Volume: XVI No. 1 -Education, Assistance, and Networking for the Inventor- Jan. 2004

Next Meeting: January 24, 2004 9:00 AM Washoe Medical Center Room cr102

Our web site is 'www.nevadainventors.org' Founded in 1988

We are a 501(c)6 group under IRS rules.

The purpose of NIA is to educate inventors and potential inventors through whatever means available, including regular meeting, classes, seminars, workshops, and evaluations, within NIA or in cooperation with other persons or organizations. The education of inventors, or potential inventors, may also include the publishing of written materials, such as a regularly published newsletter, flyers, notices, or letters.

Additional goals of NIA are to inform its members of private, civic, governmental, and public resources which may be of assistance to inventors; to promote a positive public image of inventors; to provide for its members a referral/resource directory; and to furnish assistance to its members, whenever possible, by directing their efforts toward the successful development of their inventions.

by Clare Goldsberry

Clare Goldsberry has 20 years in the plastic industry and is the author of "So, You Think You Have a Great Idea!" a guide for getting your plastic invention manufactured. Contact her at clarewrite@aol.com.

MANY INVENTIONS WILL END UP on a store's shelf as a plastic product. Whilc the finished product may appear simple to the consumer, it takes many steps to go from invention to finished plastic product. A good plastic product is only as good as its design.

Right: These tiny but functional prototypes were built with fused deposition modeling (FDM), using a new high-resolution-build option. The prototypes were made from durable ABS plastic.

(the IC chips, which measure about 1" in length, are not prototypes, but used to show scaled

Below: FDM in. process

The first step after sketching your concept and having some idea of its configuration is to find a good plastic part designer. You can begin by looking in the Yellow Pages under "Plastic Molds" to locate a moldmaker who can recommend a plastic part designer.

Some mold shops that offer full service capabilities have this talent in house, but, more frequently, plastic part designers are independent business people. When you locate designers, always ask about their reputation for designing plastic components and get references from product developers who have successfully used that particular designer.

Why a plastic part designer and not just anyone who does mechanical or industrial design? A very good plastic part designer once said, "There are lots of good designers out there, but not a lot of good plastic part designers." Plastics have specific properties that make them unique in the manufacturing process. There are many things to consider when designing for a plastic product, such as manufacturability Just because you can draw a product doesn't mean it can be molded.

The design of plastic parts must take into consideration such things as material shrinkage during the injection molding processing stage and removal of the part from the mold. Also, draft* must be considered, especially for long, narrow components, for easy removal from the mold. How much draft you can tolerate and not interfere with the part's function is something you'll necd to discuss with the designer

In addition, there are cosmetic considerations. Every plastic part has to have a "gate," which is the small area where the plastic is injected into the mold. The location and type of gate depend on the design and function of the part, and whether it needs to have a cosmetically smooth surface. Some types of gates leave no visible mark; others do. If your components require decorating, such as hot-stamping, painting, labels or other decorativc items, the designer can design a part that will take these into consideration so that the gate location doesn't interfere. A good plastic part designer can help you decide on an optimal gate location based on your product's requirements.

If there are several plastic components that require a snap-fit, or more than one piece that needs to be sonic welded to another piece, a good plastic part designer can design the parts so that they provide optimal fit and function.

Different plastic materials will act in different ways when molded, and these differences have to be taken into consideration when designing a product. Determining which plastic material is best for a specific product is a serious consideration. There are product liability issues to be considered when choosing a material. For example, if you choose a material that is too flimsy and doesn't hold up to the application's requirements, you could find yourself in a lawsuit if the product breaks and causes injury.

Good plastic part designers have a general knowledge of the various types of plastics and the properties of each. They can help you choose a material based on the performance requirements for the application. Material selection is critical because it is also one of the determining factors for mold design and the type of mold you'll need.

The design of your product also determines the cost of the mold. A good plastic part designer can create the optimum design that not only achieves what you need in your product aesthetically, but provides good fit and function and helps reduce the cost to manufacture, beginning with the cost of the mold. In fact, the design of a product has a direct bearing on the cost of the mold. Many times a designer can reduce the cost of the mold by finding a way to remove the need for slides (to accommodate shapes) or lifters (to remove parts from undercut areas).

The next question is whether or not to get a prototype of the part so that further testing can be done, i.e., to check out snap fits, function, and prove out the design of the plastic product prior to getting a mold design and built. Looking at a part even in 3D on a computer screen only gives a general idea of the part. Having a part in-hand provides a much better understanding of what the part will actually look like, and whether or not it will be exactly what is needed.

Obviously getting a prototype part adds time and money to the development of the product, but in the long run, prototyping can save time and money to the alternative, which is designing and building a mold, getting sample parts, thcn making changes to the mold. That can be a time-consuming and costly way to go.

Rapid prototyping (RP) is a fast and economical way to get a sample part. Two of the most popular and economic RP processes are SLA (stereolithography) and FDM (Fuse Deposition Modeling), which is becoming increasingly popular because it offers several different types of plastic materials. SLA gets you a "touchy feely" part but is limited in testing because the type of material used in SLA is limited. FDM allows greater flexibility in testing such things as fit and function, durability, stress testing and other considerations prior to developing the mold.

Proving out your part design prior to getting a mold designed and built will often save big bucks. "A $500 RP model can easily save $5,000 in tooling changes, not to mention weeks of time," says Greg Latimer of Triad Plastic Technologies of Reno, Nev. Triad offers both the SLA system and FDM, and frequently works with inventors on new products.

Also, it's a fast way to get a sample part. JK Molds of Upland, Calif., offers FDM. JK Molds can produce a prototype part using FDM in eight to ten hours instead of the several weeks needed by conventional prototyping methods that require a single cavity mold. The time that can be saved in R&D is significant. "We saved one customer eight months of research and development work using FDM," says Terry Colbert of JK Molds.

If you have any doubts about your design, rapid prototyping is the way to eliminate those doubts and save time and money in the long run. Remember, l your plastic product will only be as good as the design. A good design impacts the entire process, from the design and creation of the mold to the molding, assembly, decorating, marketing and sales. Getting a good plastic part designer involved with your project up front should be your number one priority in the of manufacturing process.

* "Draft" is the slope of the part Most parts need some draft, usually one degree or sometimes more depending on depth of the part Draft is needed so the part can be removed easily . A part that doesn't have any draft, i.e. one that is straight, would form a vacuum in the cavity and the part couldn't be removed. Think of a plastic drinking cup, which has a smaller circumference at the bottom than at the top. It is designed this way so the cup can be removed from the cavity. Not all parts need that much draft, but even items that look as if they are the same size at the top and bottom have a small degree of draft.

subject = Well done! from = xxxxxx@sympatico.ca to = infor@nevadainventors.org

name = Bob Huehn

body = I arrived here through Don Costar's page.

I met Don as part of the UIA in the 1990's, and just recently noted his web address.

Followed the links to your newsletters, etc.

Just wished to drop a note of encouragement to you to continue your fine work.

Don, some of the organizations I am currently working with are listed on

www.inventored.org/huehn

Karyl Lynch, a partner in Pelhum West Associates, works as a product scout locating products for client Companies seeking to expand their product lines. She is also a co-founder of the Innovators' Resource Network.
Contact at info@pelhamwest.com.

FOUR YEARS AGO, Paul Silva and Jeremie Spitzer, students at the University of Massachtlsetts in Amherst, were working on their career plans for life after college. Despite a major in physics, Paul had a hard time visualizing a career in that field. Jeremie, who comes from an entrepreneurial family and who already had a track record as an inventor, was equally concerned. In late night discussions they agreed on the importance of being passionate about their work.
Becoming online game developers fit the bill.

Zform's power teem: President Paul Silva (1.), CEO Jeremie Spitzer (center) and Chief Technology Officer Gavin Andreson(right)

"The most important thing we have done is to make friends! "

Then they found themselves caught in a familiar conundrum: To get a job, you need experience. How do you get experience? By having a job. Attending a conference of online game developers led them to see that they didn't stand a chance of being hired-- hut they returned excited and invigorsted anyway. "We learncd how little we knew," and thought, " That's awesome!" Instead of discouragement, they heard a challenge.

During that same semester, Paul rccognized that the student sitting next to him in a math class was blind. The instructor was rapidly writing numbers and formulae on the board, oblivious to whether her students were keeping up. Paul leaned over and asked if it would be helpful if he read aloud what the instructor was writing on the board. He got an enthusiastic "yes" and a friendship was born.

These two experiences came together when Paul and Jeremie identified a problem: the online game community is closed to individuals with sight impairments. They knew that online games were hugely popular. They learned that sight impairments affect 7.5 million people in the United States.

At that point, Jeremie and Paul became guys with a plan! They decided to create games that bring the blind and the sighted together. They formed a company, Zform LLC. and using the latest audio, networking and software technologies, they set out to put high quality multi-player games on the market that promote social interaction and communication by allowing people to play with one another regardless of visual impairment or geographic location.

When they began their new business, Jeremie and Paul realized that their lack of experience with game development meant adding a partner with technical expertise. Zform's third partner, Gavin Andreson, has brought in-depth knowledge of the technical side of game development from a number of years working in Silicon Valley. Looking back Paul says, "The most important thing we've done is to make friends!"

When they first floated their ideas, they found that the enthusiasm they encountered helped carry them through the hard work of developing their product as well as structuring their business Jeremy seconds Paul's statement: "We didn't know what the questions or problems were with trying to develop our business until wc did our first business plan." That first plan was torn apart ("shredded and handed back on a plate," according to Paul) by its audience; they soon realized that learning to answer questions and acquiring new data would be key to their success. At one point, they envisioned developing their business as not-for-profit but they have now established its commercial viability. Their fourth business plan was developed over the Summer of 2001.

Paul and Jeremie met their first goal on Schedule when they Created a technology prototype of a very sophisticated game, Zoomania in order to demonstrate that they could produce highend accessible games. Having a complex game already developed let others see the vision they had for their business. In addition, they demonstrated they can deliver on the product--and building a line of games is an important element in their plans. This has allowed them to move beyond the point of financing Zform out of their pockets or through loans and gifts from family and friends. While confident of the commercial viability of their games, they've discovered that it also feels good to be involved with a product that improves the quality of life for sight-impaired individuals.

Intellectual property issues at Zform take the form of patents, trademarks and copyright issues. As Gavin develops code for the programs, he signals when he's done something unique. Jeremie and he hash out its potential and decide if it's time to talk with their IP lawyer. Copyrights and trademarks protect their characters and story lines. Listening to other software developers discuss the intellectual property protection strategies they've used has been important since patenting software is a relatively new area of patent law.

Paul and Jeremie openly discuss the learning curves they've needed to address. Initially they weren't aware of the differences between people who have been blind since birth or who have lost their sight through trauma, illness, or age. The range of ways in which people respond to sight impairment is vast so their second challenge has been to come to terms with ways to develop games to handle that range. Then there are the differences in how people in general learn to play games. Jeremie and Paul find that they can now anticipate much of what will work effectively in the design of their games but they also know that they still have much to learn.

Each version is tested with users who represent a range of impairment as well as game playing skill. One of the ways Zform has learned it's on to a good thing has been the willingness of others to volunteer to test the product. As Paul points out, it isn't necessarily a terribly boring thing to play online games as a test but they've been pleased with the response they've gotten. Zform begins with "vanguard" testers - individuals who are tech-savvy. The next group of testers is less technologically experienced. They then move to "beta testers" - open testing which includes a wide mix of individuals. Finding the right testers is important since there is no one community of sight-impaired individuals.

Unlike many inexperienced product developers, however, Jeremie and Paul realized early on the importance of building on the knowledge and experience of others. They established a board of advisors, composed of people with expertise in social responsibility, the video game industry, finance and investment, marketing, and assistive technology development. Listening to their advisors has been essential.

Entreclub, a college organization that brings students from several campuses together, provided a crash course in developing a business plan and allowed Jeremie and Paul to meet people who have become important to their board. When they submitted their business plan to the Entreclub Business Plan competition in the Life Styles category, they won. Grants from the Lemelson Assistive technology design Center at Hampshire College also provided encouragement. When Paul and Jeremie took their plans to Several organizations providing services and support to the blind, they received enthusiastic responses and strong support.

Summer of 2001 saw several milestones as Zform moved from a company with a concept to a company with a products. During the summer, GameSpy industries, the industry leader in online entertainment and multi-player technology, provided over $50,000 of its online community software in order to help Zform meet its goals. In September, Game Developer Magazine, the premier journal for the video game industry ran a feature story on Zoomania.

Jeremie and Paul talk a lot about the value of having passion and energy for your idea. They laugh that one advantage they had was that they didn't have enough experience to know that maybe they should have given up. Not realizing the mountain they were trying to climb, they did a lot of things right and in February 2002, the beta version of their first product, Five Card Draw, became available

Five Card Draw, the most familiar form of poker, came to the Internet in a format that allows sighted and sight-impaired people to play together. In choosing Five Card Draw as their first game, they drew upon the enormous popularity of a game that also appeals to members of different generations.

The concern for their career path led two college students to create jobs for themselves that they love while using the Internet and technology to solve problems of disability as well as geography. Go to www.zform.com and play an old and now new game, Five Card Draw.

George Burns: "It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married."

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