Putting the creative process to workPage3

Bridging gaps in the creative processPage6

Creating today’s worldPage7

in this issue:

2006Issue 2 The Protomold Company, Inc.

Rapid injection Molding

The Creative ProcessSPecialiSSue

Blendingsimplicitywithsophisticationandmaterialwithstructure,thespider’sweb,initsmanyforms,isnature’screativesolutiontothenon-flyingarachnid’staskofcapturingairborneprey.

> executiveview

We’ve all heard the phrase “I’m of two minds.” It’s more than a figure of speech. The left and right hemispheres of mammalian brains are, in fact, semi-autonomous units. If the corpus callosum, the nerve bundle between them is severed, the two hemispheres can function more or less independently. But our “two minds” are not simply mirror images. They have completely different “personalities.” Differences in the way neurons are interconnected make the left hemisphere more logical, sequential, and objective, while the right is more intuitive, subjective, and holistic.

The left brain is “sherlock Holmes,” peering through a magnifying glass and evaluating clues. The right, on the other hand, is a spirit medium, receiving brilliantly insightful messages from beyond. When Archimedes,

searching for a way to determine the volumes of complex objects, jumped from his bathtub and ran through the streets of syracuse shouting “eureka” (I’ve found it), he was almost certainly “in his right mind.”

Conventional wisdom ascribes creativity to the right brain, but our theme for this issue of The Journal is the creative process, of which insight is just a part. That moment when you slap your forehead and exclaim “Of course” (or “eureka” if you happen to be Greek), is critical. But as Thomas edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” In other words, every “Aha!” moment has probably been preceded by research and will almost certainly be followed by evaluation and rework.

The pure product of the right brain may be interesting, even exciting, but it is rarely “useful” in any meaningful way. While great artists have produced museum-worthy sketches, most of the world’s great art is the product of preparatory studies and grueling labor. similarly, in engineering and design, the creative “instant” typically produces a sketch requiring tuning and testing to become a successful product. (Leonardo da Vinci was a creative genius, but I wouldn’t pilot his autogyro off a cliff.)

In this issue, we look at the creative process from many sides. We’ve interviewed individuals who use the process in their daily work. We look at its application in organizations. And we step back to get a wide-angle view of the ongoing process in the field of plastics and its impact on our lives. We also considered academic models that either attempt to describe the process or set out guidelines for its practice. If anything, our research shows just how individual the creative process can be.

Believing that evaluation is a critical part of the creative process, we at Protomold are pleased to play a supporting role in this regard. We hope you enjoy this quarter’s issue and the exploration of the creative process as much as we have.

BradclevelandPresident & CeObradc@protomold.com

Shades of Gray (Matter)

Integrating Left and Right

> creativityoverview

Google the word “creativity” and you’ll get over 200 million hits — solid evidence of our collective interest in it. The concept has been argued by philosophers, dissected in laboratories, written into software and taught in classes. It has been codified into systems ranging from four steps to dozens, and promoted at every level from Crayola Creativity Central to MacArthur “Genius” Fellowships.

The search phrase “innate creativity” gets enough hits to suggest that creativity is (or, at least, is believed to be) an inborn capacity. That makes perfect sense, since the ability to solve problems is at least as valuable a gift to one’s offspring as strength, speed, or agility. And if you need more evidence of the instinctual nature of creativity, just watch a small child going after an out-of-reach toy or treat. It’s unlikely that anyone taught little Billy to use the kitchen drawers as stair steps to the cookie jar. What he’s done is “repurpose” furniture, recognizing that drawers have other uses than storing spoons and sandwich bags. Where he got the idea, however, is anybody’s guess.

That’s one of the problems with analyzing creativity. It’s a process in which there are no “right” answers. In the real world, there are multiple routes from problem to solution and, often, many viable solutions as well. Of course that hasn’t stopped thinkers for analyzing the creative process.

One early take on the process was put forward in 1926 by Graham Wallas. His model consists of four phases:

Preparation—definition and research

incubation—setting the matter aside

illumination—the sudden appearance of a solution

verification—testing the solution

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All well and good, if you’re in no hurry. But Billy wants a cookie now. And the rest of us live in a competitive world, where neither competition nor customers will wait for your “illumination.” In other words, sometimes creativity needs to run on a schedule.

Koberg and Bagnall, in their 1981 book The All New universal Traveler: A soft-systems Guide To Creativity, Problem-solving, And The Process Of Reaching Goals suggest a more active model. They define the steps in the creative process as:

Accept the situation as a challenge

Analyze to discover the “world of the problem”

Define the main issues and goals

Ideate to generate options

select to choose among options

Implement to give physical form to the idea

evaluate to review and plan again

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This approach, or some variation of it, can be used for either individual or group problem solving, although creative individuals and groups often work without the structure of specific steps.

Note that in both the old (Wallas) and new (Koberg and Bagnall) models, the final step is to evaluate the solution. And while only the second model says so, it can be assumed that either model can entail returning to “the drawing board” for further work on the problem. At Protomold, we recognize that our role in the creative process

— allowing designers to quickly and affordably evaluate their solutions — is a small one. But evaluation may be the most critical step in the creative process, and high cost and long delay are luxuries few companies can afford.

PuttingthecreativeProcesstowork

> DeSigner’SForum

The creative process: the phrase suggests something specific and definable, but in reality, the process varies among individuals and from situation to situation. We talked to three product development professionals about their approaches.

Larry Gonier of solid Designs LLC in Inver Grove Heights MN is always looking for ways to improve a design.

“I’m working on a design right now that would have required fasteners

and threaded inserts,” he says. “We replaced them with molded-in snaps to simplify the finished product and cut costs. Another customer came to us with an accessory for a paintball gun. We redefined the problem and developed a series of adapters that allowed the same accessory to fit multiple brands, significantly expanding his market.”

“Before I start modeling, I visualize the part from all angles,” says Gonier. “Once I’ve got it clear in my mind, I’ll do a CAD model and, if

needed, make a fused deposit model in-house to verify the design and ultimately send it to Protomold for injection molded prototypes. If I get stuck, I’ll bounce ideas off another designer as a way to break through tunnel vision and get a fresh view.”

Chris Crowley of Table Mountain Innovation in Golden Colorado does some of his best work at night. “Once I’ve gathered as much information as I can, I put the problem aside—I think

of it as composting—for at least one night. I keep index cards and a light-up pen I got from Protomold next to my bed and often wake up with a solution.”

“When you work with multiple technologies—sheet metal, plastic and metal extrusion, injection molding, circuit boards, displays, die cuts, adhesives, and more—you never know where answers will come from,” he says. “The ability to think in 3D and to make functional models is important, but sometimes a solution comes from something seemingly

unrelated, a magazine article or a conversation. I recently filed for a patent on a system for electrically testing surgical gloves based on an idea that came from a totally unrelated area.”

Tim Humphrey is the president of designsuNLIMITeD in Irvine CA.

“Creativity,” he says, “is getting to market faster, giving a client what he wants, and getting it right the first time. One of the challenges we face over and over again is making products smaller yet more powerful. We’re always pushing the envelope, making better use of space and getting the most out of materials. For example, we recently developed a RAID system for a client that fit 12 drives into a 2u space. We had to consider airflow, serviceability, and reliability, each a challenging issue all by itself.”

“When we run into obstacles, we go out and research technologies. If we’re really stuck, we may let it sit a while and come back with a new perspective. sometimes we turn to experts, but we might also talk to people who aren’t specialists in the area. If they ask “silly” questions, it can help us think outside the box. The bottom line is, we go wherever necessary to find solutions for our customers.”

thecreativeProcess:areportfromtheFront

“I keep index cards and a light-up pen I got from Protomold next to my bed and often wake up with a solution.” — ChrIs Crowley, Table MounTaIn InnovaTIon.

Thinking about the creative process, many of us see it as amorphous, unbounded, and without structure. Not Josh Blackmore, Global Marketing Manager for Healthcare at RTP Company, a leading compounder of plastic resins.

“It depends on the scope of the project,” he says, “but when the job is complex and time is limited, structure can help enhance communication and reduce lead times, especially when teams are involved.”

RTP engineers typically work with outside customers as unbiased expert material consultants, drawing their knowledge of plastic technologies and experience with over 60 engineering resins. Blackmore sees structured creativity as a process that can also be used within a single organization and on projects ranging from new products to improvements to existing products.

speaking from experience, he recommends that organizations start by assembling a cross-functional team with a stake in the success of the project. “From engineering and manufacturing to sales, RTP serves on these teams as a material consultant because we are knowledgeable in all resin families,” he says. “Once you have the right people on the team, you can integrate everyone’s wants. The first question you have to answer is ‘why are we doing this?’”

Typically, a customer presents a “punchlist” of desired attributes of the finished product. The problem is that, together, these attributes may be incompatible. For example, all the features may not be feasible within cost

limits. Weight requirements may conflict with expected strength or durability. even color preferences can conflict with other properties. “You do have to prioritize and determine what is essential versus what is merely nice to have,” he says. “The key is to validate the finalized criteria to make sure you’ve heard the customer correctly and get a sign-off on the final prioritized specs. Once the design is locked down you can begin to create a product.”

“At RTP, we call the process Imagineering Plastics. We have a strong staff of R&D scientists and our unique strength is compounding plastic resins that will meet complex specifications. As we move forward, we test and verify critical elements, which is where Protomold comes in. Their prototypes let customers test actual compounds in real injection molded parts to check fit, form, and function and actually see if the design works and meets the prioritized specifications.”

some might question whether that much structure can hinder the creative process. But, according to Blackmore, it’s an approach that’s been successful in creative organizations in many industries such as automotive, healthcare, and electronics. That’s not to say that less structured approaches don’t work, but as projects become more complex, there’s more opportunity for communication breakdown and delay. “I can’t say exactly where the cutoff is,” says Blackmore, “but if you find your priorities getting confused and deadlines slipping, it might be time to increase the rigor of your creative process.”

creativitywithrigorWhen the job is complex and

time is limited, structure can

help enhance communication

and reduce lead times, especially

when teams are involved.

–Josh Blackmore, RTP

> ProtomolDgrowth

The path of the creative process from concept to finished product can be a convoluted one. Prototyping helps designers get their bearings along the way, either verifying their assumptions or pointing out potential problems and redirecting the process. Protomold is in the business of providing fast, affordable prototypes that accurately match finished products, but we also provide customers with valuable checkpoints along the way, before ever producing a prototype.

The first step toward a prototype is a quote, which Protomold’s ProtoQuote software delivers in one business day. When cost is critical—and it usually is—that information can be as valuable as any other feature. But an online ProtoQuote includes more than just a price. It specifically identifies potential moldability and design issues, allowing users, if necessary, to revise their models before investing time and

money in a prototype. This analysis has been recently enhanced with 3D viewing capability*, allowing the customer to rotate the marked-up design in space for clearer understanding of identified problems. And because ProtoQuote is interactive, it lets the customer adjust parameters like resin choice, surface finish, and speed of delivery and see how they affect the cost of the prototype.

Once the order is placed, prototypes can be completed in as few as three days allowing the customer to test fit and performance of the part before moving on in the development process. If the parts pass muster, the customer can proceed confidently to production; otherwise, corrections can be made allowing the creative process to move forward based on solid information rather than speculation. The end result for customers is faster feedback on the viability of ideas and their execution and faster achievement of their goals.

Protomold: BridginggapsinthecreativeProcess

ourcreativeProcessSupportsyoursweinitiallydevelopedProtoQuote®toautomaticallyidentifyanddisplaymoldabilityproblemsinstatic,color-coded2Dimages.

thenwedevelopedProtoview®3Dtodisplayrotatable3Dimagesoncustomers’screens.

Butsinceproblemscouldbeonthebackofthe3Dimage,wemadeimagesautomaticallyrotatetheimageandzoominontheproblemareawhenthecustomerclickedonanitemintheissueslist.** This capability is currently in beta test and can be viewed online with the Internet Explorer browser.

The new 3D ProtoQuote

> Bookreview

Think about the creative process and you probably picture a problem in need of a solution. In fact, many models depict the creative process as a cycle in which the solution to one problem inevitably leads to a new problem or revised version of the previous one. In other words, just as problems seek solutions, so do solutions seek problems. This becomes particularly apparent when a new technology delivers new capabilities, and nowhere has this been more obvious than in the collision of plastics with a world previously reliant entirely upon “natural” materials.

The history of plastic is replete with stories of processes or experiments gone wrong, resulting in beakers full of “what-the-heck-is-this-gunk?” some of those experiments ended up on toy store shelves, but hundreds more were refined into useful products that became the building materials of the world we live in. And while the car, the telephone, the computer, and the satellite have certainly impacted our lives, plastic became the term (though initially a derogatory one) for our entire way of life for several decades.

In short, plastics have become embedded in our culture. We buy meat on plastic trays, covered with plastic wrap, paid for with plastic money, carried in plastic bags to cars made substantially of plastic and driven to homes covered in plastic siding and decorated with plastic paint. You might think that the only way to escape the stuff would be to flee to the wilderness. But if you did, you might

find much of what you wore, paddled, or carried on your back to be plastic.

The history of plastic is a never-ending creative process—creativity in the development of materials and creativity in their application. That history is addressed in depth and with insight in Jeffrey Miekle’s American Plastic: a cultural history. The author spends little time on the raw chemistry or mechanical processes of plastic. Rather he dwells on its impacts—on individuals; on society; on our health, our economy, and the overall design of our world. His exhaustive study runs the gamut from disposables of every stripe—celluloid collars and Bic pens—to Bakelite collectibles auctioned for thousands of dollars.

Miekle sees American technology and American character evolving in tandem—postwar America becoming

“plastic” with the freedom of individuals to move, to evolve, and to adopt entire new

lives and personalities. The parallel is more than coincidental, as the author attributes the flexibility of modern American life and lifestyle in part to the impermanence and disposability of plastic. Along the way, this scholarly-but-engaging work delves into history, sociology, business, psychology, the environment, the arts, environmentalism, and more, in a truly mind-expanding look at the lives we live.

creatingtoday’sworldtitle: American Plastic: a cultural historyauthor: Jeffrey L. MeiklePublisher: Rutgers university Press, 1995iSBn: 0-8135-2235-8

“The history of plastic is a never-ending creative process—creativity in the development of materials and creativity in their application. That history is addressed in depth and with insight in Jeffrey Miekle‘s American Plastic: a cultural history.”

From the Old News Dept. ...Just when we thought the entire planet had heard that Protomold now offers side actions for manufacturing more complex parts, we discovered that there are some out there who haven’t gotten the word. So here it is in a nutshell:

We can now add up to four side-action cams to a mold. This lets us produce parts that could not be made in a simple straight-pull mold. So if you still think Protomold only does simple parts, give us a try. If you’ve submitted parts in the past that we’ve had to no-bid, or if you’re not sure whether your current part fits our process, please give us a try.

Protomold. It’s where the (side) action is!

Your Chance to Win a $1000 Best Buy™ Gift CardSee Protomold’s print ad running in several design-oriented magazines and enter our monthly “Cool Parts” promotion for your chance to win. If you can’t find our ad, send an email to marketing@protomold.com telling us what you’re reading these days and we’ll tell you where to look.

Best Buy is not affiliated with Protomold. Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve or have any responsibility for this promotion. Please see back of card for terms and conditions

Congratulations to Our Recent Winners!

Free Trial of Prospector ProAs you know if you’ve been reading this publication, IDES has generously offered a limited-time free trial of Prospector Pro for readers of Protomold’s Rapid Injection Journal. This definitive plastics database lets you find resins based on the characteristics you need and is worth a look even if you don’t have a specific requirement right at the moment. This is a shared account for our readers, which can be found at http://www.ides.com/login. It will be operational until July 28, 2006 and can be accessed by entering the username: protomold and password: guest.

What’s New

The Protomold Company, Inc. 1757 Halgren Road Maple Plain, MN 55359

P: (763) 479-3680 F: (763) 479-2679

© 2006 by The Protomold Company, Inc.

nobody’s faster in the short runTM

www.protomold.com/parts

Everything By Design

Designer Bob Crandall and his manager Chuck have been working together as a team for six years now.

May: Shawn Orr, Viking Corporation Hastings, MI

April: Tim Etchells, Liposonix Bothell, WA

March: Brent Kommes, Prince Manufacturing Sioux City, IA

February: Mike Brewster, Pentair Sheboygan, WI