We launched the Headphone Stand last week, and since then we’ve had fun filling you in on the winding design journey. Today, we are going to share how it’s manufactured. 

The Headphone Stand is purposefully constructed to ensure that your headphones are safe from the everyday perils of your listening and working stations. This simple and airy design is achieved in part by wire forming. 

Wire forming is an expansive manufacturing process that can turn wired steel, brass, copper, and many other alloys into nearly any desired shape.

One of the simplest examples of wire forming is the humble paperclip — small, malleable, and filled with purpose. Its production is mesmerizing, and you can catch a glimpse of it here. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, as you can see: star, cactus, cowboy hat, etc. Wire forming is also used to produce heavier, thicker items like fasteners, springs, wire shelves, and baskets.

Our Headphone Stand is made by bent wire forming and stamping. First, the two-dimensional shape is produced through force imparted on a sturdy stainless steel wire (diameter measuring in at 9mm). Next, the stamping process takes the shape that was just created, and folds it in at the exact angle needed for the Headphone Stand’s cantilevered silhouette. These two processes create both the base and the balance necessary to securely hold headphones. 

Once the base has been formed, our factory uses the above jig to assess the resulting shape, verifying that all angles and radii are to spec so your headphones can rest easy when you’re not using them.

Wire forming was just the right process for a headphone stand that goes beyond pure functionality. A sculptural object that fits naturally into any environment, it is beautiful and functional, decorative and helpful.