Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens
These handmade electrical plugs allow you to plug a second appliance into the back.
Dutch designer Dave Hakkens noticed that appliances like fridges and boilers need to stay plugged in all the time so there's often a shortage of sockets for occasional use.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-12.jpg)
His Sharing Plug eliminates the need for a tangle of multiple-socket extension leads or unplugging one device to use another.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-3.jpg)
Hakkens sculpted the plug by hand, scanned it digitally and used the manipulated model to cast the casing in rubber so it's soft and flexible.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-2.jpg)
He then made a rubber socket and standard plug in the same way, resulting in a range with a warmer aesthetic that their mass-produced plastic counterparts.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-15.jpg)
Here's some more information from Hakkens:
Most of the products around us are made industrially. Although I am a big fan of craftsmanship I believe our world sometimes just needs products to be made industrially. To make the products produceable for machines they need a 3D file which is designed and drawn on the computer.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-14.jpg)
Usually this is done entirely computer based. Products are starting to look the same and a personal details are lost.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-11.jpg)
I wanted to make a technical product by hand but still produceable for the industry.
I did this combining old techniques & crafts with new technologies such special software and 3D scanning.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-10.jpg)
I took a normal plug and a power socket. Usually these things haven't got any value.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-13.jpg)
If for instance an electronic device doesn't work anymore the plug is also thrown away, even though it still works perfectly fine. I wanted to give the plug more value and make it less disposable, so when a electronic device is broken you disconnect the plug instead of throwing it away.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-6.jpg)
Making of:
I started off by making a lot of different models and variaties. With this information I made the final models.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-8.jpg)
Instead of designing them on the computer I made them completely by hand, after that I scanned the models in 3D and put them on the computer.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-4.jpg)
I edited them, drew the technics inside and made the dimensions universal. Right now the file is 3D readable and usable for the industry. I used this file to make the final models in 3D.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-7.jpg)
Now, they are made from rubber which gives them a soft feeling, allows the plug to bend in the direction of the cable and fits perfectly around cables with a 3 - 8 mm diameter.
![Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens Sharing Plug by Dave Hakkens](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Sharing-Plug-by-Dave-Hakkens-5.jpg)
Handmade plugs, ready for the industry!