2022
A Laptop Stand That Folds Flat for a Backpack
- The Problem
- Every collapsible laptop stand we owned either wobbled under real typing pressure or didn't actually fold flat enough to be worth carrying.
- The Solution
- A single hinge joint, printed in a fiber-reinforced nylon, paired with two oak arms that lock under load but release with one finger.
Material
Oak, fiber-reinforced nylon
Process
- 01 Prototype hinge geometry
- 02 Load-test under typing pressure
- 03 Iterate the release mechanism
- 04 Finish the oak arms
The Story
We went through eleven hinge prototypes before one held a laptop steady without needing a second hand to unlock it. The eleventh one shipped.
The hinge is the entire product. Everything else exists to hold it in place.