OtterBox Opens the uniVERSE to 3D Printing

The OtterBox uniVERSE Case System
OtterBox Opens a uniVERSE of Possibilities [Full Image]

For OtterBox customers and makers alike, the uniVERSE has expanded with the help of LulzBot 3D Printers. A slim, lightweight, yet durable smartphone case, the uniVERSE Case System features an accessory mount for add-ons, accommodating everything from credit card readers and battery packs to bluetooth speakers. While there is a growing ecosystem of uniVERSE-compatible accessories, now OtterBox customers can design and print their own uniVERSE case accessories too. 

[Watch the video.]

In search of a guidepost in the Free/Libre/Open Source community, OtterBox turned to Aleph Objects, makers of LulzBot 3D Printers. “We chose to partner with LulzBot because of their stellar reputation and experience in Open Source products and 3D printing. Their printers produce quality products quickly and efficiently while being extremely user friendly to beginners,”  said Kyle Rajaneimi, uniVERSE Marketing Manager at OtterBox.

“We were excited when Kyle called us for a meeting,” said Aleph Objects Director of Marketing Ben Malouf. “The maker community has always shown a ton of interest in 3D printing phone cases, tablet stands, bike mounts, and the like, but they’ve never gotten support from the mobile accessories industry before. We helped OtterBox navigate Free licensing options, but it was their idea to give the maker community access to their uniVERSE CAD files.”

OtterBox uniVERSE CAD

From its humble start building waterproof dry boxes in a Fort Collins, Colorado garage, OtterBox is now the number one selling smartphone case brand in the USA, and a leader in durable outdoor products. Founded in 1998 upon the principles of hard work, risk taking, and listening to its consumers, OtterBox took this philosophy a step further and released the CAD files for the uniVerse Case System’s accessory mount under the Free CC BY-SA 4.0 International License. 

“LulzBot 3D Printers helped us demonstrate how easy it is for OtterBox customers to create their very own uniVERSE Case System accessories right at home,” Rajaneimi said. The company showcased LulzBot 3D Printers and the UniVERSE CAD at the 2017 World Maker Faire in New York City. “We created kickstands, bottle openers, and more. The printers performed amazingly even in 95 degree NYC summer heat! It was impressive.”

uniVERSE Phone Stand

'One of the core values at OtterBox is innovation, which is why we created the uniVERSE Case System,' said OtterBox CEO Jim Parke. 'We're inviting the community of innovators around the world to customize their mobile experience by designing their own accessories.'

 

As more companies embrace Open Source philosophy and encourage user contribution and collaboration, the resulting possibilities for radical innovation are endless. 'We are thrilled to be collaborating with OtterBox,' said Malouf. 'They are demonstrating exemplary vision by releasing their uniVERSE accessory mount CAD under Free licensing, and we are excited to help bring their community's ideas into reality with LulzBot 3D Printers.” 

 

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All multimedia content licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 International © Otter Products, LLC.