Aspen 三脚ヘッド by Colorado Tripod Company is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 銀賞 in カメラ・写真機器デザイン Competition Category.
銀写真機器· 2021
Aspen 三脚ヘッド
Client: Colorado Tripod Company
A' Design Award 銀賞 Winner in 写真機器 Category
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- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #108315
The Design
About Aspen 三脚ヘッド
Aspenは、写真の構図決めをシンプルにするために設計された三脚ヘッドです。オープンフレーム構造により、装着したカメラを両方向に90度を大きく超えて回転させることができ、かさばるL型ブラケットを使わずに横位置と縦位置を素早く切り替えられます。ボール部は中空構造で複数の穴を設けることで、強度を保ちながら軽量化を実現しています。調整可能なレバークランプは幅広いカメラプレートに対応し、フリクションコントロールで動きの抵抗を設定でき、パンロックによりパノラマ撮影のための360度回転が可能です。Aspenは硬質アルマイト処理を施したアルミニウムから機械加工で削り出されています。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 銀賞
Aspen 三脚ヘッドは、見事で印象的なハイエンドのデザインに授与される、非常に権威ある評価である A' Design Award 銀賞の受賞作品です。銀賞の受賞作品は、きわめて輝かしく創造性に富んだ作品であり、デザイナーの傑出した専門知識、才能、洞察力を示しています。Aspen 三脚ヘッドは、素晴らしい代表作であり、驚くほどプロフェッショナルで、深く革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銀賞を受賞したデザインは、非常に注目すべき称賛される発明であり、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術の境界に寄与し、それを前進させます。Aspen 三脚ヘッドは、多くの人に羨まれる創造物であり、欲求を呼び覚まし、前向きな感情をもたらし、驚きと感嘆を灯します。
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Aspen tripod head provides photographers with a large range of motion to simplify photograph composition. An open frame design allows an attached camera to rotate well beyond 90 degrees in both directions for quick adjustments in both landscape or portrait orientations. The ball features a hollow core with holes to reduce weight while maintaining strength and the adjustable lever clamp offers a quick and secure attachment to a wide range of camera plates.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width: 134 mm x Depth: 55 mm x Height: 95 mm
Weight: 440 g
Ball Diameter: 48 mm
Load Capacity: 13.6 kg - Tags
- tripod head, ball head, camera support, tripod, photography accessory
- Production Technology
- The Aspen is constructed primarily from aluminum 6061 which is hard anodized for increased scratch and corrosion resistance. Stainless steel and bronze are also utilized for interacting threaded parts. All parts are CNC machined with either live-tooling lathes or 5-axis mills and the machining process was fine-tuned over many iterations to optimize tolerances and fit. The custom locking knob is constructed of an injected molded rubber to improve feel and ergonomics.
- Design Challenge
- In order to maximize range of motion, an open framed design was chosen for the Aspen. However, the construction proved difficult to ensure proper locking force and rigidity. The locking pads have much less surface area than traditional ball heads, so a number of pad shapes and materials were tested to optimize the locking mechanism. The surface finish of the anodized ball also proved to be a factor in the locking force. Additionally, the correct tolerances of the interacting parts was difficult, as a balance between tight fit and smooth movement was needed to achieve the end result.
- Research
- A wide variety of competitor references were studied for load capacity, vibration dampening, material selection, weight and mechanical operation. Various test rigs were created to acquire data in addition to disassembly and reconstruction of parts. A weight gauge was created to measure the max load of ball heads at various locations of load relative to the center of the ball. A vibration dampening and rigidity test was created using gyroscope and accelerometer devices attached to the ball heads. Using the data, our design team gained insight into the mechanisms and features that create a high-strength, rigid, low-weight tripod head. Range of motion was also evaluated in all of the tripod heads reviewed to ensure the Aspen exceeded the limits of traditional ball heads.
- Inspiration
- The Aspen design is centered around increasing range of motion to simplify the process of compositional framing for photographers who need to align their cameras quickly. The open frame construction eliminates the need to adjust the tripod legs to level the camera and makes bulky L-brackets unnecessary for switching from landscape to portrait orientations.
- Project Duration
- The project started in 2018 and finished in early 2020 with all design, prototyping and manufacturing taking place in Denver, Colorado, USA. The product officially launched in July 2020.
- Operation Flow
- A camera is mounted on the adjustable lever clamp that is attached to the Aspen hollow ball. When adjustments are needed for compositional framing, the locking knob is released and the camera is rotated into position about the center axis of the ball and then re-locked. The friction control sets drag on the ball when moving freely for a customized experience. A panning lock can be tightened or loosened to create a secure lock or to rotate the ball head 360 degrees for panoramic photographs.
- Patents
- Patent Pending. Application Number 29725750. David Graham Clark. 2020. USA
- Team Members
- Colorado Tripod Company
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