FOLD

A working external SSD machined from aluminium, shaped like the most iconic folder in computing history. Fold is the first original Micro Company product — and it lives on the desk.

The Brief

Always running out of storage, and every drive on the market looks the same — black rectangles that say nothing. The classic Mac folder icon has been sitting on screens since the beginning of personal computing. It's iconic, instantly recognisable, and nobody had turned it into something physical yet. Fold started as a personal fix and a deliberate first step into CNC manufacturing.

The Outcome

A fully working external SSD enclosure machined from 6061-T6 aluminium, shaped after the classic folder icon silhouette. M.2 2242 SATA internals, USB-C connection, and a brushed anodised finish in three colourways — Iconic Blue, Universe Grey, and Classic Silver. The first production unit is on the desk and working. Texture and finish refinements are underway before it goes further into the world.

The Process

From quick sketches to a working CNC aluminium unit — twenty printed prototypes, one PCB, a few coloring surprises, and a finish that's still being perfected.

It started with quick sketches — working out proportions, figuring out how to translate a flat icon into something with depth, weight, and a port on the side. Once the proportions felt right on paper, everything moved into Fusion 360, built parametrically so every dimension could be adjusted without rebuilding from scratch.

Getting the size right took longer than expected. Too small and it lost the icon quality. Too large and it stopped feeling like a personal object. Twenty FDM prototypes later — testing form, feel, lip fit, back plate tolerances, and USB-C port placement — one version clicked. After locking the geometry, a controller PCB and M.2 drive went in to verify the electronics actually worked inside the space. They did.

The CAD files went to a CNC shop for the first aluminium run — a completely new process. Learning how to spec finishes, communicate tolerances, and create the right documentation for someone else to machine your design. A colouring issue came up on the first batch, resolved and documented for future runs. When the first metal unit arrived, the shape and weight were exactly right. The texture wasn't. That refinement is happening now — because getting it into someone else's hands means it has to be perfect.