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HSE™ 240 HT Dual Extruder 3D Printer

essentium 240
The Story

Expanding the Reach of Additive Manufacturing (AM) Technology

When additive manufacturing burst onto the scene, it had great promise. But with many barriers to entry including cost, output speed and quality, size of machinery, and technical knowledge required for operation, AM techniques have not yet been able to reach their full application potential.

Essentium saw this as an opportunity.  With their High Speed Extrusion 3D printing technology already taking the industry by storm, Essentium sought to develop a printer that would match the speed, strength and quality of the HSE 180 and 280i, but at a cheaper price and within a smaller form that could be operated by less technically-trained users. Essentium engaged M3 to help make their vision of expanding the reach of AM technology a reality in their new HSE 240 HT 3D printer.

essentium 240
Our Solution

Powerhouse Printing Without the Complexity

  1. Identifying and understanding user flow, generating concepts that meet established technical requirements and also push the brand into an innovative new era.
  2. Low-fidelity prototyping for multiple concepts to understand which options best reduce device complexity with the goal of creating a frictionless user experience to accommodate users of varying skill.
  3. Full-scale, functional prototype engineered, sourced, and assembled in time for tradeshow launch.
person looking at hse240 printer
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The Concept

Approachable Design

By stripping the facade of this printer from any irrelevant forms or buttons we created a much more approachable design that only shows what you need to see. When the device is not in use, both the screen and the window into the build chamber fade into the black front panel, giving the device a clean, sophisticated look.

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The Concept

Consolidated Interactions

To enhance the usability of the printer we created interaction zones using contrasting color panels. These zones consolidated the user interaction touchpoints and made it much easier to operate.

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"M3 really knocked it out of the park for us. They were quick to understand Essentium and the market and then able to turn that understanding into a design we love." Blake Teipel Co-founder and CEO, Essentium
HSE 240 HT

Designing the Next Generation of AM Machines

The goal for this industrial design was to harness all the power behind the HSE 240 HT 3D Printer and present it to the user in a digestible way so more people could have access to high performance AM machines.

designers journey mapping

Streamlining a Complex Process

Through a thorough research phase, the M3 team was fully immersed in various user workflows to identify common pain points to understand what interactions were most important and how we could consolidate them to enhance overall usability. All concepts were evaluated through a human-factor and ergonomics lens to ensure that anyone could operate the printer effectively.

prototyping a ui

Enhancing Usability

The direction we settled on uses contrasting color panels to consolidate user touchpoints and streamline the user flow, communicating to the user how they will use the device without saying a word.

exposed hse240 prototype

Bringing it to Life

A tight deadline had been set for an aesthetic prototype of the new HSE 240 HT 3D Printer to be unveiled at a 3D-printing trade show in Germany, meaning a seamless transition from concept to development was critical. M3 worked closely with the Essentium team to ensure all necessary parts for the model were procured and then assembled in time for the big event.

hse240 at trade show
The Results

A Small but Mighty Beast

  1. An approachable but sophisticated design that facilitates a seamless and empowering experience.
  2. A prototype that substantiates the accomplishments of this machine.
  3. Scalable design elements create footprint for future brand development.
  4. Common barriers to entry for AM technology are eliminated, making additive manufacturing a realistic and viable alternative to traditional methods.
hse240 at trade show
hse240 at trade show
hse240 printing an M3 logo
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