The HandyStand Case

Task: Design and fabricate a container that can be transformed into another object to create a dual purpose container. The transformation process cannot require the use of additional tools, and once transformed, it does not need to be able to return to its original shape. The container can be made of any kind of thick paper, but the use glue or any other type of adhesive is prohibited.

Solution: My final design came to life in the form of The HandyStand Case, a unique, transforming laptop case that also functions as a stand for your personal computer. Fabricated from 1/8″ cardboard, this product is light weight and portable while being carefully engineered with robust, latching corner joints for increased stability. The transformation process is easy and intuitive and takes only a matter of seconds.

Product Photos:

Product Flyer:

Design Process:

The process for creating The HandyStand Case started, as always, in the sketchbook. I decided to pursue a two-in-one laptop stand/case due to its complexity, uniqueness, and challenge factor. In order to begin the prototyping process, I had to scale down my design to fit in the bed of the standard sized laser cutters I had access to. My first iteration suffered from poor tolerancing at the joints and quickly lost its sturdy shape. In order to improve on my initial design, I accounted for all offsets and errors on the faulty joints and also added latches to fasten the sides of the container to the back face instead of simply using loose tabs similar to a pizza box. When I was finally able to produce a robust, sturdy scaled down prototype, I transitioned to a much larger laser cutter (~ 3′ x 4′ bed) to fabricate my final product.