From plastic to zinc die casting

"We're a very small start-up. Dynacast ensured we could bring our product to market on time." - Andrea Perdomo, Revolar

A magic button

In vulnerable situations, the difference between feeling powerless and feeling secure can come down to one question: how quickly could you signal someone for help if you needed it?

Most people carry smartphones when they are out and about. But using one to send an SOS in an unexpected situation is not exactly instantaneous.

Fumbling with a keypad, calling an emergency number and explaining the potential threat can add many adrenaline-filled moments—not to mention uncertainty about the person's precise location.

This complexity led Revolar co-founders Jacqueline Ros and Andrea Perdomo—both of whom have close relatives who survived traumatic personal danger—to a shared realisation.

"If only they had had a 'magic button' they could have pressed to let us know they needed help, they would have been able to avoid so much," says Perdomo.

And the Revolar safety device was born. Clipped to keyrings, backpacks or handbags, one click sends an "all clear" check-in to selected contacts, while additional clicks increase the urgency, enabling contacts to help—or send first responders.

The pair bootstrapped their start-up, funded it through a Kickstarter campaign and secured external funding before gaining coveted shelf space for their first-generation device at Brookstone, Target, Amazon and BestBuy. However, months of testing revealed that consumers wanted a second-generation product with a smaller, more premium form factor that would fit naturally into their lifestyle. Consumers wanted the button to feel less like a device and more like an accessory.

Manufacturing style

To establish the ideal specifications, Dynacast guided Revolar through DFM (design for manufacturing) sessions covering process, material and finishes.

"This next-generation device needed a stronger part," says Dan Taylor of Dynacast. "It needed to feel higher quality, which many of our customers prefer—that heavier, metallic part in their hand—because it feels much stronger than plastic parts."

Dynacast recommended zinc, which can be cast thinner, with greater intricacy and complexity, even at extremely small sizes.

Finalising the design

"We had a plating 'recipe' for the finish of this part, whether that involved sand blasting, bead blasting, then applying different types of copper-nickel plating," says Dynacast's Taylor. However, Revolar had not yet confirmed the finish.

They then visited Dynacast's plant in Batam, Indonesia, where they examined automotive key fob parts that were approximately the same size as Revolar's design. Taylor says, "They liked the components, which were attractive and small, and the finish, which was a very shiny satin chrome. They said, 'That's what we want.'"

It took time for die cast tooling to begin, precisely because the design was evolving so significantly through testing and trials. Andrea Perdomo says, "We asked Dynacast to accelerate tooling production, and other manufacturers might not have accommodated that. We're a very small start-up. Dynacast ensured we could bring our product to market on time."

Ultimately, the design freedom embraced by Dynacast was a major advantage, accommodating not only tight timelines but also the range of finishes Revolar wanted to make a device that its customers would be pleased to wear regularly.

"Our product is beautiful, functional and affordable," says Perdomo. "And that is largely because of the Dynacast experience."