Encadra was asked to develop an intercom enclosure based on existing design sketches. The sketches were created by Art. Lebedev Studio, while we were responsible for the mechanical design and adapting it for production.

In total, we made three versions of this intercom.

The first version was a prototype built to demonstrate the product to an investor.
The second version appeared after the client made changes to the electronics.
The third version was developed after field testing the second one, once it became clear what could be improved in the design.

By the third iteration, the manufacturing technology also had to change. Silicone mold casting was no longer suitable for the growing production volume, so the enclosure was redesigned for injection molding.

The conceptual design was done by Art. Lebedev Studio. Based on those sketches, Encadra developed the enclosure design and internal structure.

The first prototype was shown to investors and later installed on an apartment building door as a real-world test unit.

The next step was building a detailed 3D model and creating visualizations of the enclosure. These were reviewed and approved together with both the original designers and the client.

Once the visual design was approved, we moved on to physical prototyping.

The third prototype marked an important shift.

Originally, the enclosure was designed around aluminum casting, and early prototypes were CNC-machined from aluminum. That worked mechanically, but when we calculated the cost for serial production, the difference became obvious: the aluminum enclosure was about three times more expensive than a plastic one.

We decided to change the manufacturing approach. Moving to plastic didn’t compromise functionality or perceived quality.

First, the design was adapted for silicone molding to support early sales. Later, in the third iteration, the enclosure was fully reworked for injection molding.

One issue only surfaced after assembling and testing the early versions.

Since this was an intercom, the enclosure included both a speaker and a microphone. In the first version, both were rigidly mounted to the enclosure. During testing, it turned out that the speaker was transmitting vibrations through the enclosure and creating interference in the microphone. Normal voice communication was impossible.

In later iterations, the microphone was mounted using a rubber damper. That isolated it from the enclosure and eliminated the interference.

This is a good reminder that if your device both produces and captures sound, acoustic isolation needs to be considered early and verified on physical prototypes before going into production.

The Sputnik intercom is now in serial production and available for sale.