Ztraw Reusable Straw by Thinkthing Studio Ltd. |
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| DESIGN DETAILS | |||||
| DESIGN NAME: Ztraw PRIMARY FUNCTION: Reusable Straw INSPIRATION: At least 37 countries are planning to restrict the use of single-use straw, which leads to the popularity of reusable straw. However, reports have shown problems with reusable straws from hurting people physically to trapping mold and causing sickness. This results in a market gap where people need straw but they are worried about the quality of the straw they were given. We wanted to change the belief that it is hard to maintain a green lifestyle by making our product simple and user-friendly. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Ztraw is a foldable and pocket-size solution that solves the biggest issues faced by reusable straws; portability and hygiene. Just open it up to clean every corner and fold it back up to carry it with you anywhere with the stylish pouch in ten colours. It has antibacterial compound mixed PP & TPE material to make sure your straw is safe along with a washable pouch, it can prevent the growth of bacteria unlike any straw in the market. It is the first-ever stylish eco-friendly product at an affordable price that fits human ergonomics and blends a sturdy triangular shape into a circular mouth opening. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: Ztraw comes in a flat pack packaging to minimize the the carbon footprint during transportation and limit unnecessary use of extra materials. To use Ztraw, first you fold up Ztraw according to the vertical line along the body. Then you can fold it up into a triangular shape so that the first and last sections overlap to secure the flat surface into a drinkable straw. To carry it around, simply unfold the straw to wipe with towel/tissue and fold it in half and put Ztraw in the pouch provided. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The idea came to us in 2018 January and we have officially launched it on Kickstarter on 2020 March. The production begins in June in our chinese factory and then sent to Hong Kong to be assembled by St. James' Settlement sheltered workshop. The product starts sending out to buyer in 2020 July. |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Ztraw is manufactured with injection molding; after the polypropylene component is solidified, it is then placed in another mold to inject thermoplastic elastomers for the soft joint of Ztraw. We have to make sure the placement is precise or it will affect the vacuum suction experience of the product. For the pouch, we have laminated two types of materials together, PU and PEVA to make the internal wall of the pouch waterproof and not affect the appearance of the pouch. However, the PEVA makes it hard to attach the magnet and we have to figure out a way to secure it. So we found a special glue and a vacuum-formed plastic case to secure the magnet. Making sure the case has enough surface area and looks good on the pouch. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Product Dimension: 190mm x 37mm x 3.8mm Product Weight: 15g Product Material: Antibacterial Polypropylene & Antibacterial Thermoplastic elastomer Product Package: 80mm x 200mm x 10mm TAGS: Reusable, Straw, Foldable, Fashion, Minimal, Travel, Compact, Sustainable RESEARCH ABSTRACT: We have done research online on existing problems with reusable straw and we have tested out quite a few different designs from the market. The most common problem with existing design is that they are hard to clean and will trap molds on the internal walls. So we looked at existing reusable straw that can be popped open and found out that in order to counteract the possibility of air leakage with an open structure, they are mostly bigger in size with hard material to create a stronger structure or uses soft rubbery materials to conceal the opening but making the straw less sturdy. We also found out that a lot of people think green products lack style. In the age where aesthetics is everything, green products do not stand out like other products at first sight. Therefore, we found a market gap for Ztraw where there are no sturdy but compact straw that can be opened up for easy cleaning. It's hard for people to take the first step and begin a sustainable lifestyle because it looks hard to approach and it lacks user experience. So we have created Ztraw with these in mind. CHALLENGE: Since the shape and folding methods of Ztraw is very hard to achieve without using actual production methods. In order to finetune ZTRAW's design throughout our journey, we have to build a new injection molding mold for each correction, which is a very expensive but accurate development process. Therefore, we have joined Kickstarter, hoping to gain more support to our journey in discovering the most convenient reusable straw in the world. Since Ztraw is a foldable straw that can be unfolded flat, it is very hard to create an airtight structure to have a similar user experience as a normal straw. We have tested so many prototypes with less than 1mm difference to achieve that and it requires high precision during production to minimize any percentage error. ADDED DATE: 2020-09-29 07:40:53 TEAM MEMBERS (4) : Li Sung Shan Jason,, Wong Mung Sha Monsha,, Lam Nga Wing Justina, and Luk Yu Hei Ashley IMAGE CREDITS: Thinkthing Studio Ltd., 2020. PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: GB1903150.9,GB1914067.2 |
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| Visit the following page to learn more: http://www.thinkthingstudio.com | |||||
| CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS | |
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NAME: THINKTHING STUDIO LTD PROFILE: Thinkthing Studio is a Hong Kong-based design brand started in 2011 as a design and consulting firm by the Managing Director, Jason Li, to bring exceptional ideas into reality. The company is transforming as a design brand over the years yet its core values remain the same. They are committed to provoke new thoughts and inspire changes that improve the present. By keeping things real and plausible, and most importantly–they think things. Their first in-house product FLIPEN has launched successfully on Kickstarter and they have also successfully crowd-funded another product, Ztraw on the same platform, which has gathered much attention and crowdfunded HKD600K in 40 days. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Ztraw Reusable Straw by Thinkthing Studio Ltd is Winner in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Category, 2020 - 2021.· Read the interview with designer Thinkthing Studio Ltd. for design Ztraw here.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Thinkthing Studio Ltd.. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Thinkthing Studio Ltd.. |
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