Something that has always bothered me is rubber phone cases that ruin the feel of the beautifully constructed iPhone, but running no case is not a viable option either. Over Christmas break in 2019/2020, I was on vacation and had a lot of spare time, which is when I decided to try and address my phone case pain point.
I started thinking about ways to make a case that "feels invisible", and what I came up with was a design that removes material around where the user holds the phone. The X design provides drop protection for the front, corners, and back, but leaves most of the phone exposed, to preserve the original feel and look.
I used Onshape to model V1, which uses individually machined aluminum pieces for the corners, and a flat piece of carbon fiber to connect them, similar to a drone frame. I found a Chinese manufacturer on Alibaba to machine the aluminum and CNC shop in the US to do the carbon.
Luckily, V1 assembled and fit well, and it looked great. I was able to start using the case and identifying problems with the design immediately. After about a month of use, the main issue became apparent - the tiny laptop screws that threaded into the thin aluminum was not a strong enough connection between the frame and the corners. The aluminum corners also left marks on my phone and were expensive to produce at scale, so I decided to re-think my design.
After thinking over different materials and getting quotes from more manufactures, I decided that a single piece of molded carbon fiber was going to be the best option, due to it's strength, appearance, and scalability. Making the case all one piece would mean no connection points to worry about, and no assembly to pay for if I decided to produce them at scale. Molds are expensive, so I ordered a high resolution 3D-print of the V2 design to test out fitment.
The print fit great, only needing a very small increase in the size of the camera bump surrounding. Time to go carbon!
The first molded carbon version arrived and looked fantastic. The fitment was very tight on the phone, because my manufacturer mistakenly applied the clear coat to the inside of the case as well. The clear coat was also applied too thick on the outside, giving a slightly wavy appearance to the surface. Both of these issues will be addressed in the next revision, along with better overall surface finish of the carbon.
The case has been working great for several months and has protected my phone from multiple drops onto concrete. Currently, I am working on designs and prototypes for newer iPhones (12 and 13).
