Student Case Study: Umbrella's Handle Case Study
- jonathang22
- May 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 4
By Raul: Selkirk College Student of the Digital Fabrication a Design program.
Almost 2 years ago, I bought a new umbrella which was neat as it opened the other way, opposite to the traditional ones. However, it came with a cheap and hollow handle, which I took on as a personal project because I wanted to design my own custom handle. I started this project while I was living in Vancouver, where rain is a constant element you face in daily life. However, as I no longer live there, I thought it would be a perfect Christmas present for my sister, who does.
I decided to scan and repair this project because I found it was the perfect example to show and test how a custom design can be adapted into a commercially generic design and use additive manufacturing to create the new piece.
The way I addressed this problem was by getting rid of the previous handle. Then, I used one wooden dowel as a shaft, wrapped it with clay, and had a female friend of mine wrap her hand around it and use it as a template. As this is intended to be a present for my sister, and hand ergonomics vary a lot between a man’s and a woman’s, her help was of great use.
Once the clay dried and solidified, I scanned the rough shape of the clay handle to get a mesh and start working on my design. I imported the obtained mesh into VX Elements, which helped me a lot to clean up the mesh, shape it with organic curves, and then export it into Fusion 360.
The next step I did was to convert it from a mesh into a solid body, where I sculpted some features into the handle such as the inner shaft diameter and its depth.
Once I obtained the mesh and edited it in Fusion, I started making modifications between Fusion and VX Elements, which provided me with different results that were getting closer to the desired grip, with the shape of the fingers I wanted and aiming to create organic shapes.
Once I obtained the final piece that I was satisfied with, I engraved my sister's initials on the bottom. I also designed a hole to attach a string to secure the umbrella. Once it was ready, I mounted it on the umbrella to check if the design provided the desired height. Once I confirmed the size was correct, I sent my design to Tempus 3D to bring it to life. I am thrilled with the result! Now, all that is left is to take it to Vancouver and give it to my sister as her Christmas gift.
What would I do differently next time?
I think next time I would mount the clay on the umbrella from the very beginning to better calculate the dimensions, both the thickness of the piece and the height at which it should be placed. It was a very intuitive process, where each refinement and 3D print of each iteration provided quite different results, so it took many trials to reach the outcome. I also think I would focus more on aesthetic design, as it now serves a functional purpose by adding extra weight to act as a counterbalance, but I feel I need to work on the proportion design. One thing I consider a success is that, since it is a large and solid handle, its weight helps counterbalance and stabilize the weight of the umbrella itself. I believe the final client will have the last word, so it will be important to listen to her feedback, as this is a complete surprise, and the entire design has been based on estimates of her hand proportions and height.
Tempus 3D is an HP Certified 3D Printing service bureau located in British Columbia, Canada. Tempus offers 3D printing services using HP MJF technology, Sinterit SLS technology, and Formlabs 3D printing technology to offer Nylon PA 12S, TPU, and a wide variety of resins including clear resin in house. Tempus serves clients across Canada and the US, and has next day shipping to most locations in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest including Alberta, BC, Washington, and Oregon. Serving Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria, Spokane, Seattle, and Portland from its location in Trail, BC.
