TMCnet News
Santa Cruz native and MIT grad create 3-D printed standing desk [Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif. :: ](Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 01--SANTA CRUZ -- If sitting is really the new smoking, as reported by NBC News, then a Santa Cruz native is helping the nation go cold turkey. Isabella Tromba learned about the detrimental health effects caused by long periods of sitting while working as a software Engineering Intern at a Mountain View startup. "I was amazed at how much better I felt after a day of work," Tromba said. "I did some research and found out" some scarey facts. Her research uncovered studies that showed sitting too much raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. Those facts, along with the positive experience she had using a standing desk prompted her to shop for one when she returned to school at MIT in Boston. After she discovered she couldn't afford one she and her boyfriend David Yamnitsky, decided to make their own: the Press Fit Standing Desk. They wanted to come up with a desk that was affordable, portable, and, since she grew up in Santa Cruz, built out of sustainable materials. "I grew up with the culture of sustainable and locally manufactured products and in producing this desk, wanted to keep true to my roots," Tromba said. The two designed a strong stand up desk that could be quickly assembled without tools that could be made with 3-D printing and digital manufacturing practices. After both graduated in June with engineering degrees, they put the project on Kickstarter seeking $10,000 in pledges to raise enough money to build and ship the desks that sold for less than $200 each. The response was incredible. In less than 36 hours they reached their funding goal. By the end of the pledge period they raised nearly $65,000. "We were overwhelmed by the response," said Tromba. "It's been amazing. We've been very excited that people are really interested in affordable standing desks." The desks, along with several other similar sustainable, inexpensive and easy to assemble products invented by the pair, will be made out of prefinished maple plywood that has been grown and milled near their home in Boston. The plywood will be bonded together with biodegradable glue, and 100 percent formaldehyde free. The couple is seeking a supplier and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area to serve customers in the western part of the country. People who have pledged their support are excited. "A standing desk in every office and home office in America," commented supporter Jacqueline Sly on their Kickstarter page. "Making it happen, one affordable, portable desk at a time. I can't wait for my desk for my apartment." Sly won't have to wait much longer. Tromba and Yamnitsky expect to begin shipping out the desks to people in late September. Press Fit Standing Desk Press Fit Design: The Press Fit Standing Desk is made from precision-cut parts that assemble like a jigsaw puzzle without any screws or tools. It's so simple there's no instruction manual. Digital Manufacturing: Completely digitally manufactured. Cost: By using a one-step digital manufacturing process, the manufacturing costs are lower. Cost ranges from $25 for a mini desk and stool to $279 for a large. Portable: It comes apart into lightweight pieces that pack flat. Sustainable Materials: Prefinished maple plywood, grown and milled in the Northeast; 100 percent formaldehyde-free. Details: www.pressfitfurniture.com (coming soon.) Links: http://tinyurl.com/m5gp9ef; http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml; http://tinyurl.com/qzy2bzu ___ (c)2014 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |