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3D Printing Used to Develop Menstrual Cup from Female-Owned Brand https://ift.tt/3agnBre 3D printing is most often used for product development applications, a crucial tool to understand the look and feel of an item before it hits the market. That was the case for a new menstrual cup from Bermudian podcaster, author, and entrepreneur Gayneté Jones. This January, Jones founded the latest of her many business ventures: fem healthcare brand Best, Periodt. 3D printing played an integral part of the development of the brand’s final product. When one gets their period each month, they typically have a variety of choices as to which feminine hygiene product to use, from sanitary napkins (pads) and tampons to period underwear and menstrual cups. Some even prefer free bleeding. Oh no, have you recovered from my super-fast topic change that’s all about a subject--menstruation—rarely discussed in the AM industry? Okay, let’s carry on then! Jones had the idea for Best Periodt menstrual cups after talking with some podcast guests who owned a product-development business. She was thinking about product ideas that could actually solve a real world problem, and when she got her period the next day, she had her aha moment.
A brief explanation might be in order here. Instead of absorbing blood like pads and tampons do, menstrual cups actually collect it, and once you remove the cup—taking care to keep it upright—simply dump the contents into the toilet, rinse it out, wash your hands, and reinsert it. The Best Periodt website says that you can use the same cup for two years before getting a new one. So, it’s definitely a more sustainable option, and a more cost-effective one as well, especially when you consider the pink tax, also known as gender price discrimination. In addition to holding more blood than others on the market and 86-ing the bags in favor of a cuter, more hygienic silicone carrying case, Jones says that the Best Periodt cup is also the first fem healthcare product made by a Bermudian. And it is already available at several island businesses, though the online shop ships from a warehouse in the US. The Best Periodt cup is FDA-registered and OB/GYN-approved, and created in an ISO 13485 environment with medical-grade, biocompatible silicone. Jones built the business and launched the product during COVID, which was challenging to say the least.
Jones wanted to create a unique solution for period care, instead of adding her brand to an existing product, or white-labeling. So, she worked with a female engineer who specializes in medical devices to create the Best Periodt menstrual cup. They first developed a prototype, and then a 3D printed prototype, before creating a physical sample. I was able to get in touch with Jones via email to ask some questions about the 3D printing used in the product development of the Best Periodt cups. I wanted to know if what it was used to create it had been a model, or a functional prototype, and why they had decided to use 3D printing, rather than a different type of manufacturing technology.
Since 3D printing worked so well for the prototype, I asked Jones why it wasn’t used to create the end product, or even a physical sample.
As we know from the 3D printing of sex toys, material choice and post-processing are extremely important when dealing with a device that will come in contact with, or be inserted into, the body, so her reasoning makes a lot of sense to me. Jones created Best Periodt cups in order to offer a better solution to users.
Speaking of helping the environment, zero plastic is used in the packaging of Best Periodt menstrual cups, which also don’t use any chemicals or colorants. Jones also wanted to give back through her business endeavor, which is why one dollar from the sale of every Best Periodt cup is donated to an anti-child trafficking charity that users annually choose.
As I mentioned early on in this story, 3D printing wasn’t used to make the final product here, for what seem like good reasons. But Best, Periodt isn’t the only product that Jones and her team have up their sleeves, and who knows, maybe they’ll circle back and use the technology to help with more product development in the future.
(Images courtesy of Best, Periodt) Printing via 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing https://3dprint.com April 16, 2021 at 08:01AM
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