Problem: Houseplant Pests

Fruit Flies, Fungus Gnats, and other Pests make house plants their home.

Current solutions like fly paper are ugly and have plenty of negative connotation surrounding them.

Inspiration

A large amount of focus was placed on looking at sculptural forms that the planter solution could take.

Driven by Form and Function

A large amount of sketch exploration allowed me to discover new and interesting forms that would engage the user.

Arriving at an appealing aesthetic was especially important for this project in order to combat the negative connotations associated with fly trap solutions.

Narrowing Form Down

I went on to develop four potential concepts in Solidworks and rendered them in Keyshot.

This gave me a better sense of which concepts were visually stronger than others, and enabled me to narrow down to the final form of Captis.

Organic Asymmetry

This forms utilizes organic curves to achieve a less manufactured look.

Asymmetry also allows for the trap portion to be easily accessed by the user.

Lets Talk Production: Ceramic Slip Casting

This is very a common method for mass-producing a wide range of ceramic products.

It is achieved by pouring liquid clay (slip) into a plaster mold.

The liquid clay deposits its moisture into the plaster mold and forms a wall thickness within the mold.

Excess slip is then poured from the mold leaving the desired part.

Small Scale Testing

Along with viewing in CAD and renders, a small-scale model was produced to experience the form in real life before producing a 1:1 version.

My Casting Endeavor

I decided to prove out my design beyond pretty sketches and renders by producing the product in the way it would be manufactured.

The Process

Casting the complex geometry of the trap portion proved to be the most difficult step and took months of trial and error.

After many attempts I was able to develop a design and technique that produces replicable results.

How It Looks and Works

The pot utilizes a replaceable fly paper cartridge that can easily accessed and changed.

The pot comes in multiple glazes to suit different tastes among users.

Package and Refill

Packaging and refill steps are planned out and displayed on the box for ease of use for the consumer.

In the Home

Captis’ elegance complements the space without demanding too much attention.

In My Home

I have created a handful of 3D prints to utilize within my home and other homes.

The Final Prototype

After my small production run, I began testing real life use. These results proved to be quite successful.

The fly trap functions very effectively as I discovered after just a few weeks of passive use.