Catalyst

Known for their state-of-the art sound management technologies, Escient approached Catalyst with a base concept of their Fireball iPod Dock.   The design intent was to produce a plastic housing which closely matched the aesthetics of their existing metal enclosure product families.   The FP-1 represented Escient’s initial move into mainstream consumer products rather than high-end, high-fidelity components. 

The project focus was to be less on aesthetics and more on ease of use and cost-effective assembly.  Catalyst designers and engineers were able to maintain the concept look, while creating a three piece enclosure with modularity that allowed for different connector configurations on the rear of the unit.  After prototyping, Escient utilized  Catalyst’s rapid tooling technologies to produce a short-run of parts for the alpha and beta builds.