I am working on the final design of a new modular ultrasonic cleaner that also acts as a sleek steel carrying case (case to go, docks on a base at home to clean). Think zima pod meets a yeti cup, but the size of a slightly larger Invisalign case. ** I have a patent filed so I can start talking publicly. ** I am looking for as much feedback as possible on my concept before I pull the trigger and start making molds and manufacturing ($50k to make molds, $100k to manufacture). I am doing this via my own cash and maybe kickstarter so Iād appreciate input on price points, feature desires, etc. Price: - $75 pre-order, $99 msrp. - After launch, cases will be around $40-50 msrp and the same for the base. I think that is pretty fair considering zima charges $99 for a big plastic ball that doesnāt even offer a water-tight lid. There are uv cases that charge $40 and literally just shine a useless LED light on your drying crusty aligners. There are plenty of ultrasonics that are $40 too but none of them are also a durable carrying case, repairableā¦ or good. I would guess I am aiming for a premium price tier vs normal amazon stuff but I am hoping is a better value than zima products. Features: - Steel case : durable coating to protect contents (or hit people in case of danger?), roughly 30mm x 80mm. Thoughts on rounded edges(not shown) vs straight (as shown in photos below) - Water-tight screw on lid allows you to keep aligners fresh and wet (avoid drying nasty stuff) - usb-c to power with an included pd charger to allow uses for other devices - (25w cell phone charging?) - The base has to be plastic due to conductivity and manufacturing constraints but I personally will try to fix that in the future. - 5 minute cycle time @ 42khz using sweeping frequency to optimize cleaning capability - Modular quick connect design allows users to have multiple cases, such as those optimized for different products (aligners vs mouth guards) and multiple households (leave the base, take the case to save space)or multi-member households (1 base for many cases). - The base will have a touch sensitive power button but I may actually do a real button to prevent accidental turn on/off from water. - potentially machine washable*** using a rubber cover to protect the power interface and also acts as a non-slip bottom. Also a spot to hide a tracker tag š¤« - Warranty: lifetime against defects, otherwise a similar system to apple air-pods. Feel free to ask me questions, make comments, nitpick, hate on, etc and let me know what color youād prefer the case to be! Be brutally honest! #misc #Invisalign #smiledirectclub (rip) #aligners
Oh hi, I didnāt want to throw a link cause I wasnāt sure it would be cool. Thanks! :)
5 minutes cycle is too long. Will it still need cleaning tablets?
https://idyllproducts.com/blogs/news/keeping-your-clear-aligners-clean-what-really-works-what-the-science-says Long story short: idylly both but just ultrasonic cleaning should be fine. However, I am working on a far more efficient/smaller tablet system so you can do either and it be far more affordable. Part of the reason I shrunk the case is so that if you do use tablets, you can use a lot less cleaner to accomplish the same cleaning. Also working on a tablet that is for inter-day use to keep your aligner smelling fresh, boost teeth whitening and offer enamel repair. Edit: 5 minutes is the standard but with the final sizes we can probably get it under 3 to achieve similar cleaning as a larger ultrasonic.
juat bought zima go and the ultrasonic cleaner by zima. really happy with how well the ultrasonic cleaner cleans but it's bulky and not made for outside so i rely on the uv case for outside. uv case is small, lightweight and opens/closes easily so i take it anywhere in my purse. i like your product but a few concerns/considerations: - is it heavy or too bulky? - do i need to keep it upright when it is on? - is the screws-on cap hard to remove and put back? - can't figure out if its ultrasonic only or uv too? either way, i haven't seen a mobile ultrasonic case so this could be very novel, if practical to carry in a purse
A lot to answer here: UV (according to zimaās own blogs) isnāt very good. Especially for $90. https://zimadental.co/blogs/zima-dental-learning-zone/dental-pod-uv-ultrasonic-cleaner 1. Itās about as bulky as an Invisalign case and smaller than the zima go. The case is steel but is mostly air, I havenāt fully weighed it but if itās filled with water, it will hold 2-3 oz of water, I do not have the number, but stainless steel density is 3 times that of aluminum, but the walk thickness is .5mm (.02 inches), is mostly hollow and has a bit of plastic on the bottom for the power connection. Since you have the zima go, can you measure the wall thickness of the aluminum? Assuming itās roughly double the walk thickness and has a battery (in a double wall), a hinge system with a thick lid on it, is also roughly 10% largerā¦ I would hazard to guess it will be about 25-30% heavier when empty of water, so 5-6ish oz to zima goās 4.23 oz, and up to 9 oz when filled with water. The internal capacity should be better in ours as we used a screw lid vs the hinge method to optimize space. This is really hard to be exact on until production. My working prototype is large and bulky at 90mm x 62mm and weights 277g (9.77 oz), so if we just shrink it down to the final size of 82x32 mm, roughly half the material is around 140g vs zimaās 120g. This shrink is simplistic due to some parts not getting smaller (the ultrasonic ceramic) so letās say 150-160g. The docked cleaner would need to be upright i guess? As long as itās docked it will work since the contents inside are secured. The screw on lid should be pretty simple to use. Not a āflipā style but we wanted the space efficiency and ability to keep the contents in a solution vs 1 handed opening to access your dried-spit aligners š«Ø The lid should cone off in a few twists but Iād like it to be able to open in a half twistā¦
I prefer the straight edges design instead of the rounded edges which you didn't picture. I also think white is a good color but I'd like white with subtle accents instead of plain white.
White and steel or white and a random color. If you have a photo of a yeti or similar steel product scheme send it over!
Invisalign trays are replaced weekly/ biweekly. They can be cleaned w/ denture cleaners I would maybe focus the marketing to post treatment. Permanent retainers. Possibly dentures. Maybe expand potential use cases.
Yes for sure! Good call.
I am no longer on the Invisalign type thing, but I do have permanent retainers. I clean them at home in an ultrasonic cleaner and I hate cleaning them whenever I travel. I would actually be so down for a product like this - as long as itās truly compact! I donāt have a ton of extra space for an Invisalign thing. Also, would this make it past TSA?
The interior should be under the 3.4 oz limit and itās just a metal case. Shouldnāt be a huge issue. It has no batteries in it so nothing to cause alarm afaik. Combined size is roughly 82mmx64mm but you can take it apart to optimize space. 82x32 is each puck average. 3.22 inches by 2.5ish inches combines, 3.22x 1.25 inches each part.
Iām on Invisalign and definitely interested in something like this for when Iām done and on retainers.
Well youāre in luck. By the time I get this bootstrapped youāll be done at this rate š
Hey I actually found your product about a month ago asking when itād be available and was planning to pre-order but there wasnāt really an accurate delivery date. I wanted to purchase your product because itās USB-C and Iāve been wanting to migrate all my bathroom electronics to USB-C so I can just use one multiport USB-C charger instead of a bunch of bulky AC adapters. I also have the Zima pod and think it cleans well but hate the design. The first one broke on me and they sent me a replacement but I hate how sensitive the power button is. Itāll even turn on when water runs over the button but if your fingers are wet itās hard to turn it off. When do you plan to have it available?
Yeah itās the issue with being bootstrapped but I am looking to kickstart once the case is in production in order to get the base going. I had a recent delay after fedex and amazon lost $60k of my products going to amazon for the better part of 2 months, but I am back up and running. The case will be available first, it allows me to setup user trials and get sales going. Iām avoiding the use of debt and 3rd party cash as Iāve had horrible experiences previously and want to limit the bs that could derail the business. I can give a solid ship date once the molds are finished. They are being made as we speak. Iād say 2 to 3 months from the day the molds finish to actually get the product to your door. The base design is done but things like the touch button (which you highlighted) are what I want to avoid and am making final feature list as 99% of the electronics are in the base. Itās also going to cost 3x more cash to get it into production. However, unlike the case, I can make base samples and allow people (reviewers) to try it and get preorders/kickstarter going. The usb-c charger really is a game changer. The newest pd system is crazy, it knows what your product is and changes itās voltages to match the reqs! Crazy stuff.
Do you already have a user trial group or are they the ones that preorder? Also suggest posting in r/invisalign as I see many there backing or pumping the zima pod
I honestly like the design and love an ultrasonic cleaner. Ive had Invisalign for over 2 years now (almost at tray 100ā¦ long story involving a bike crash). I think you need to clean up your pitch a lot, it took me a few reads to figure out how this benefits me as a consumer but I fuck with this a lot. If you could figure out how to shrink the case as well so I can fit it in my pocket then Iād pay a premium for that. You seem kind of fixated on the design but I doubt that matters as much as you think it does. You certainly have a beautiful product as is, dont let perfect get in the way
I admit I have been in the weeds on the design to make sure I didnāt end up with a product that didnāt āsell itselfā and relied too much on fluff marketing. My pitch is definitely the next thing to work on š The case is pocket sized so you already got what you asked for.
I wish u were in india I'm thinking for Invisalign treatment in upcoming weeks It's costing me a good 1 month of sde2 salary here
I will hopefully be able to sell it globally after I establish the proper logistics. Let me know your general area so I can see what kinda shipping cost weāre talking about..
Location : Bangalore Also if u want to setup operations in india I'm ready to work with u š This is the problem statement, I'm really interested. And cost of such things are much higher here, like 2.5 to 3lakhs INR easily