FK ONE
The perfect machine to start your tattooing journey. The FK ONE is FK Iron's first introduction into the entry-level tattoo machine space by bringing it's high quality manufacturing to a machine at a price point perfect for an apprentice. Featuring a drop-in rechargeable battery, this lightweight machine gives you plenty of tattooing power on a single charge. Make effortless adjustments to your voltage with the press of a button. You can also adjust your needle depth with a click ratchet system on the fly. This machine also gives you color LED light indicators that show your operating voltage on a range of 5v up to 12v.
This was FK Irons' first ever tattoo machine with a removable battery instead of a proprietary power supply. With that came the challenge of how to execute the idea while maintaining the brand's level of detail. Luckily the team has an in-house R&D team that facilitated a "fail fast and often" approach to the development. We were able to make corrections with little down time (while a print was running, we were machining). The real challenge came from creating a way for the machine's mechanism to easily assemble to the new housing system. The machine utilizes the same grip system as the 'Modular Collection' so artists can use their preferred grip. The product is currently in production and is for sale on FK Irons' website here.
Role: Industrial Design, Design for Manufacturing, & Product Visualization.
Engineering Team: Fernando Diaz
Start Your Journey With Us
The FK One was designed to be the first tattoo machine in an artist's career. We wanted the machine to introduce apprentices to the brand by offering a machine with the same level of quality and care as our flagship machines but at a more entry-level price point. This was the first venture into the apprentice tattoo space. It's a booming sector within a niche due to the rising interest and social acceptance of tattoos.
We took the time to interview many apprentices and young tattoo artists to understand their perspective. They walked us through their journey on how they started and gave insight into their day to day. Typically, these apprentices start with a machine their "master" gives them. This is often the first time an artist will learn and use a machine and are often big, clunky, and do not reflect the current paradigm of "pen style machines." The idea was to give them some of our flagship machines and allow them to use if for a couple for weeks. The result was a genuine adoption of the "pen-style" machines and an eagerness to save up for one of our machines in the future. Naturally we gave some out to inspire the next generation! ;)
Designing A New Tattooing Experience
The FK One was a major departure from the tradition design language of FK Irons. The goal was to deliver the same quality machine at a more accessible price point. That meant simplifying the design and reimagining the design language to fit the machine. The main challenge the team faced was finding a way to integrate our mechanism that is found in all of our tattoo machines with a new approach to assembling the machine. This was the first transition way from the current design language that defined the brand (moving away from the Modular Collection style machine).
Prototyping was a crucial step in the development of the FK One and having an in-house R&D team allowed us to quickly iterate on different solutions. While developing the machine, the team saw an opportunity to create a plastic sleeve that could both mount the PCB and motor; reducing the amount of parts needed and simplifying the design.
Launch Your Career
With a focus on reliability at an affordable cost, the FK One is a stand-out machine for artists looking to start their tattooing career. While it features new innovations to the traditional FK formula, its compatibility with the FK Modular Collection makes it feel like it was always part of the FK family.
