Posts

3D printer safety action

3D Printing – Call for action on product safety

Consumer level 3D printers are now available and increasingly affordable. Officeworks for instance sells The Cube printer for under $700 in Australia. Prices overseas are even cheaper and generally on a downward trend. This means that people…
Gene Rider, Rider Technologies

Product safety podcast – Interview with Gene Rider

In this first podcast, Gail Greatorex of Product Safety Solutions talks to long-time product safety practitioner and champion Mr Gene Rider of Rider Technologies, USA. This is a valuable resource for anyone trying to understand how product…
Product safety checklist

How do I make sure my products are safe?

Product Safety - A Managers Checklist Whether you’re designing, manufacturing, importing or selling consumer products, you have to grapple with the question – How do I make sure my products are safe? Some of the grappling is with the finer…

A faulty 3D printed gun – who’s responsible?

3D printing safety issues exposed on TV’s The Good Wife A man downloads the design for a plastic pistol from the internet. He then uses his 3D printer to make a gun from the design specifications. When he takes it to the indoor shooting…
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3D printing and product safety

What will 3D printing of consumer goods mean for product safety? Imagine these possibilities - Manufacture your own plastic toys from yours or someone else’s designs – for your kids to play with, or to create your own little retail…

A new initiative in children’s safety

Why would you need a guide to making clothing safe? Sometimes it’s hard to envisage what can cause children’s injuries. It’s not until you experience it with your own children or hear of an incident that you realise there might…

The Dangers of Lever Shower Taps . . .

 . . . and how to overcome them - Choosing a mixer tap for a shower stall Ever been enjoying a nice hot shower and the water suddenly goes super-hot, or icy cold, or stops flowing completely? Your first thought is whether your annoying…
Opportunity to influence consumer product safety
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How consumers can have a say in product safety policy

     He had tattoos on his neck and arms. The words LOVE and HATE were tattooed on his fingers, next to skull rings. His clothes were leather, adorned with silver studs. Heavy boots completed the outfit. I was mindful that this man was…
Influence consumer product safety

How Businesses Can Influence Consumer Product Safety Policy

  WHO sets consumer product standards? How do ‘THEY’ set the standards? How do ‘THEY’ know that the standards can be applied in the real world?   As a small importer or manufacturer, you don’t always get a say in the…
10 weeks wasted

How poor product design lets you – and your customers – down

  I recently bought a mobile phone. When I needed to access the SIM card, I couldn’t work out how to remove the back cover. Frustrating. The cover didn’t have any of the usual product design features to indicate how to open…