Case Study

MicrosoftLeverages
Advanced
3D Printingfor XboxController
Prototyping

The improvements we see with
the GrabCAD software, such as
the ability to apply advanced
color/opacity techniques directlyin the software has made theStratasys J850 an even more
powerful tool for hardware
development at Microsoft
Mark Honschke
Additive Prototyping Lead, Microsoft

2Customer Profile
Located in Redmond, Washington—Building 87 or
Microsoft’s Advanced Prototyping Center (APC)
behind a door labeled with the periodic Carbon
element (one the basic elemental building blocks),
is a 26,000 square foot prototyping facility, hometo a team of highly passionate makers that act
as the translator, between concept and reality forboth Industrial Designers and Engineers. Utilizing a
multitude of manufacturing and prototyping tools,
the APC focuses on efficiently creating solutions
and prototypes to answer business questions.
Following the mantra of “Fail Fast” the APC isresponsible for quickly generating confidence indevelopment decisions for Microsoft’s designers,
engineers, and partners. 3D printing plays anintegral part in Microsoft’s “Fail Fast” development
process and Stratasys PolyJet™ models are a partof our daily routine.
Challenge
Since the first-generation, the ABXY buttons
on the Xbox controller have been more thanjust functional keys for gaming. Their jewel-likeappearance has been a visual delight for gamersthat adds to the aesthetic appeal of the controller
and makes it easier for gamers to identify andpress. The first two generations of Xbox ABXY
buttons were typically made up of two parts, thebottom-colored portion with the letter and a clear
cap seamlessly built together in a process called
over-molding. Subsequent generations increased
the part count to three, a black base, a colored

Document
Case
StudyTitle Here2letter, and the clear cap, with future generations ofthese buttons increasing part count and surface
treatments. Prototyping of this multi-material
injection mold process was a challenge from thebeginning that was made even more complicatedby the fact that although, at first glance all thebuttons look similar, each button is a unique shape
above and below the surface of the case top.
The traditional methods used to prototype ABXY
buttons were slow. First, each layer of the button
assembly was fabricated individually and thenmolds of the individual parts and a mold of thefully assembled button would then be produced.
This initial part of the process could take days
and was only the first step to a finished button.
Second, in a process called over-molding, copiesof the bottom of the button are inserted into theassembly mold and a clear resin was cast overthe base, creating the one-piece letter “underglass” design. This process would then need tobe repeated for all four buttons. Early 3D printing
helped to speed up fabrication of the masterparts, but it did nothing to eliminate the slow moldmaking process.

3Solution
The introduction of multi-material 3D printing
drastically changed the process for prototyping
ABXY buttons. With the first generation twomaterial 3D printing process, where typically aclear resin coupled with white or black was used,meant you could print button prototypes that
more closely resembled the final product in ashorter period than the traditional methods. Firstgeneration 3D printers gave designers the ability
to iterate button shapes very quickly, but the dualmaterial limitation meant shape changes werethe only element that could be prototyped. The
advancement to PolyJet™ full-color multi-material
printing, as on the Stratasys J850™ Prime, was theadvancement that truly opened the possibilities forfabricating complicated ABXY button prototypes.
The Stratasys J850 Prime 3D printer allows us tochange the shape and color of objects within theprototype’s solid bodies in a single print. We canalso add color variation and apply graphic textures
to individual surfaces with even the smallest detail,and in the gaming world details matter.
Business Impact
In the world of console gaming, controllers arethe most important accessory for gamers. They
are an extension of the gamer, not only in thedigital worlds but also IRL. As such, gamers
want controllers that work seamlessly with theirhardware that also reflect their personality, style,and preferences. Controllers that bring the “wow”
factor with new colors, graphics and button
treatments are hot commodities in a crowdedmarket. Utilizing PolyJet™ full color 3D printing
technology on the J850 Prime has allowed Xbox
designers to iterate design details effortlessly. The
speed, accuracy and large range of colors on theStratasys J850 Prime has opened new worlds ofcreative possibility.

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CaseStudyTitle Here3

Stratasys’s polyJet
technology’s color
matching accuracy has
reduced the time needed toprototype Xbox controller
buttons, which has given
us the capacity to explore
more options, ensuring we
produce an exciting arrayof products for the Xbox
player community.
Erik Sijgers

Model Maker, Microsoft

4

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Case Study

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