Emily Suzuki
Elevate your design and manufacturing processes with Autodesk Fusion
The New Possible podcast is a monthly podcast that sheds light on the future of making things – from COVID-19 ventilators to sustainable motorcycles. Each episode tells the story of how a company unlocked their new possible using Autodesk Fusion 360. Follow along as we dive into the who’s, what’s, and how’s behind some of the most exciting innovations. This episode, we chat with CW&T about the democratization of metal additive manufacturing. Listen to the New Possible podcast on all major hosting platforms, including Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Google.
Here at Autodesk, we like to say that our software helps our community design and make anything. One design duo that really pushes that concept to its limits is the Brooklyn, New York-based design studio CW&T, founded by Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy. Pens, box cutters, watches, jump ropes, sketchbooks, lighting — you name it, they’ve designed it, made it, and put their own playful twist on it. Che-Wei is even part of the MIT Space Exploration Initiative, which you can hear him speak about in Episode 4.
CW&T started in 2011 with an idea to design a more durable home for the ink cartridges in their favorite pen, the Hi-Tec-C. The result was Pen Type A, a solid stainless steel pen housed in a handy ruler body.
Instead of assuming a need for the specialty pen, Che-Wei and Taylor put the concept on Kickstarter to assess interest. To their surprise, the Pen Type A campaign received over $280,000 in funding from over 4,000 backers. Since then, CW&T has continued to use Kickstarter to fund their ideas and now has 12/12 successful products and campaigns under their belts.
CW&T designs their products in Fusion 360 then prototypes them in their workshop in Brooklyn then ships out to contract manufacturers. In this episode, Wang and Levy walk us through their story, design process, and workshop setup. Get ready to be inspired.
Listen to the full conversation above via Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Google. Stay tuned for the next episode of The New Possible podcast, which will drop next month.
Episode 1: fuseproject Goes Medical to Combat COVID-19
Episode 2: Vortic Watch Co: Not Your Grandpa’s Pocket Watch
Episode 3: CAMplete Brought 5-Axis Machining Into the 21st Century
Episode 4: MIT Space Exploration Initiative Designs Everyday Life in Space
Episode 5: One Click Metal is Democratizing Metal Additive Manufacturing