We noticed that charging cables were constantly fraying at the end where the rigid part meets the cord. We then asked our classmates if they had experienced this problem, and the majority said they had. These people did not have a solution to this problem since a new charging cable would be cheaper than buying a cable that doesn’t break. Additionally, Apple’s wire collar solution (that semi-flexible rubber at the transition between the cable and the hard part) didn’t work. Since nobody had a practical solution to this problem, we decided to take this problem on.

Next, we began to brainstorm solutions. We decided to reinforce the vulnerable part of the wire with a protective buffer. At first we tried covering the whole top of the wire with a protective material, but then we realized the only part that needed protection was the vulnerable portion of wire right below the wire collar. We then created a solution which was minimally bulky and protected the necessary area. This solution was an exaggeration of the charger collar which completely prevented and repaired the fraying, rather than just delaying it. This protective buffer was made of heat shrink tubing. We used this material because it fit on the wire when it wasn’t shrunk, then fastened tightly around the vulnerable area when shrunk. This material became tough and durable when shrunk, protecting the wire from fraying, and it also came in many different colors, serving as a way to identify your charger.

Once we decided on this idea, we tried putting  a layer of 3D printed NinjaFlex™ material under the heat shrink tubing so that the cover would be able to bend easily without damaging the wire. When we tried 3D printing this material, it came out badly because the 3D printer had trouble printing the NinjaFlex™ to the tiny detailed scale we wanted. As a result of this we decided to try using normal 3D printing filament (ABS plastic) instead under the heat shrink tubing because it would be bendable with such a thin layer. Additionally, we decided to 3D print icons with this layer to put under the heat shrink tubing that allow for personalization of your individual wires. At this point we had come up with a cheap, effective solution to the problem, which also solved the prevalent problem of wire identification.