Material Exploration

Testing Materials

Wood

I started out simple. Wood. One of the most versatile building materials known to man. Great for building houses, not bottle openers. I soon learned that when all my prototypes chipped and split. The reason for this was the wood wasn't strong enough against the pressure of sharp, metal bottle caps.

My experimentation brought me to a strongly function-based design. This meant it wasn't the prettiest, but it got the job done.

Metal

Next we came to metal. This material was relatively straightforward as most bottle openers are made from metal. as a denser, more rigid material, metal won't snap or chip when it comes into contact with other metal, especially a bottle cap.

Since metal openers were very common I wanted to give myself a challenge. My goal was to use the least amount of material as possible. I achieved this by using quarter inch rods and bending them to shape.

Plastic

The best part about plastic is its formability. This time it was no different. complex curves and sharp resolution are just some of the benefits to using plastic.

My first tests were all with constructing cad models and 3d printing them. After several tests I finally landed on a form. I went with a small, organic, keychain style opener. 

Since 3d printers build with filament, the opener had similar properties with wood grain. this led to splitting. going slowly, I was still able to open a bottle. so I printed a negative and made a mold. I filled it with resin to ensure it would be a solid piece.

Rustic

Although I was able to effectively open a bottle, I know it would not last more than a few uses before splitting and falling apart.

Sturdy

This was certainly the most efficient material, but moving forward I'd like to use harder metal or manually hardening the vertices.

Portable

Although this method would be good at creating bulk, I wanted my design to last “forever”, rather than be disposable.