Fidget spinners as an apprentice project

Carrying out your own projects even during an apprenticeship? That’s typical for us. It’s also normal for us to have fun and to apply what has been learned to our own ideas. So, let’s take ideas out for a ‘spin’! Occasionally, our technical apprentices apply also their theoretical knowledge to ’non-GEZE products and show us what they have learned.

Apprentice project fidget spinner

Precision is the name of the game in production

As an apprentice project, our technical apprentices had to design and produce a fidget spinner.

The completed fidget spinner

Our apprentices always manage to impress us with projects that have little to do with our core business. Initially, the bee hotel they built, and the swinging lounger, were the starting point for the company’s biotope; on another occasion they designed and produced an exclusive give-away for school pupils who wanted to discover our training professions: a fidget spinner.

These small toys that can be spun between the thumb and index finger have conquered the world over the last few years. They’re even considered useful: they combat boredom, nervousness, and help when stopping smoking. Indeed, Forbes magazine stated that the spinner was the “must-have office toy for 2017”.

So that it spins quietly and for as long as possible, good materials and precision during production are required. Our apprentices took on this challenge and produced a GEZE spinner.

Plenty of practice and teamwork

The project spans the entire spectrum of product development: getting the idea on paper, designing it in the CAD programme, creating prototypes with the 3D printer, planning production, and also ordering materials of course. They independently selected the tools, set these up, used CNC milling and turning machines, deburred, filed, tested many times over, and gained advice within the team. Enthusiasm was writ large on all sides: our apprentices could demonstrate what they had learned, and the curious pupils were thoroughly impressed with the unusual gift. A few even suggested at the end that the fidget spinners should be added to the GEZE range... albeit in vain, as we continue only to produce door, window and safety technology solutions. And so the fidget spinners remain an exclusive rarity. However, we’re looking forward to the next projects!