3D printing is gaining momentum and popularity than ever! Designers and architects around the world are now using 3D printing to create almost all types of products and structures. It is a technique widely used in product design due to its simple and innovative nature. But designers don’t just use 3D printing to create basic models, they use this technique in stunning ways too! From an electric violin with a 3D printed body to a pair of 3D printed shoes that make you feel like Bigfoot, the possibilities of this dependable technology are endless! Dive into this collection of humble but groundbreaking 3D printed designs.
1. Karen Ultra Light Electric Violin
While the Karen Ultralight Electric Violin name might not be the best nickname for this instrument, it’s definitely the kind you can’t ignore. Designed by Anima Design for Katahashi Instruments, the Karen Ultralight is a dynamic electric violin that ditches traditional wooden acoustic chambers for something more eye-catching.
Why is it remarkable?
The violin has a relatively hollow body, manufactured through generative design yet offering strength with minimal use of materials. The 3D printed generative frame sits atop a carbon fiber body with a birch fingerboard for an upscale yet familiar playing experience. The Karen Ultralight works like an electric guitar and has a 1/4″ jack output, but it even has an internal 9V battery and headphone jack so you can play “quiet” music directly into your headphones without the disturbing neighbors!
what we like
- Uses a popular design technique called generative design
- A slot on the back allows you to insert a 9V battery and connect your own headphones to the Karen, allowing you to play silently right into your ear
What we don’t like
2. The Cryptide sneaker
The Cryptide sneaker was designed by Stephan Henrich for Sintratec. The German architect and designer created a pair of fully 3D shoes to be laser sintered with a flexible TPE material. The shoes were shaped and printed with a Sintratec S2 System 3D printer.
Why is it remarkable?
The Cryptide has an open sole design. The designer said this was made possible by SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) production and a material called Sintratec TPE elastomer. Simply put, SLS is additive manufacturing that uses a laser to sinter particles into a more solid 3D structure. Henrich and Sintratec worked together to bring the sneaker design to reality.
what we like
- The size and shape can adjust to the wearer’s foot
- They remind us of the Adidas Futurecraft 4D!
What we don’t like
- They don’t value aesthetics + style highly
- The shoes leave freaky footprints
3. Weber+
We|aver+ or Weaver+, for example, 3D prints something that resembles knitwear, except that it uses elastic TPU as the material. The shoes it prints actually look more like chainmail than traditional fabric, and not without reason.
Why is it remarkable?
The hollow, loose knit structure gives the shoes the flexibility they need to support growing children’s feet. At the same time, the shoe also offers stable support so that the heels do not lose their suppleness over time.
what we like
- Engineered to feel great but also look distinctive
- The design allows the shoes to stretch in one direction while providing stability in the vertical direction
What we don’t like
4. The Wine Collection
The Vine collection includes a vase-like vessel, dish tray, basket and bowl that look like a series of wooden sticks twisted to create pleasing curves and shapes. No glues or extra connecting parts were used to finish their shapes, ensuring the products are sustainable and recyclable from start to finish.
Why is it remarkable?
The sinuous shapes are a testament to the capabilities of Forust’s 3D printer, but they also serve as metaphors for the organic nature of trees, which ultimately serve as the starting material for these products.
what we like
- The technology actually helps replicate the appearance of various wood grains, including those of endangered trees
What we don’t like
5. The Blizzard
Tailored to fit between each person’s teeth, the Blizzflosser is the brainchild of Chris Martin, who already made us fans with the oddly prolific toothbrush sponge.
Why is it remarkable?
The Blizzflosser comes with soft floss lined to match a person’s prosthesis. It is washable and reusable. The dental floss aligned on the appliance is thin to slide into the gaps between teeth and does not injure gums. It’s easy to tailor one of these to you; Blizzbrush will send you a special double-sided paste tray that you bite down to leave impressions of your upper and lower dentures approximately 5mm deep. They then take photos of your production and send them to the company, who based on the images will customize and 3D print a complete floss for you.
what we like
- Replicates the manual techniques of dental floss
What we don’t like
- People who are used to flossing may not like this new technique
6. Mini handbags
These mini clutches are obviously inspired by organic patterns and textures, like something from underwater flora and fauna. Such constructions are extremely difficult and expensive to manufacture using traditional methods.
Why is it remarkable?
Ironically, it’s more expensive and wasteful when intricate designs like this are made in small batches. However, these kelp-inspired fashion accessories are not only intricate but also sustainable and made possible by another marvel of human ingenuity, the 3D printer.
what we like
- The organic patterns are based on 3D scans of natural kelp topologies collected on the Malibu coast of California
- The cavities created by the patterns not only allow an easy view of the contents of the bag, but also make it lighter
What we don’t like
7. 3D printed products by Otrivin Air Lab
Mother Nature already has her own tiny air purifiers, and not only can we use them to clean the air, but we can even harvest them to make products that in turn don’t harm the planet. This is the proposition that the Otrivin Air Lab’s interactive exhibition in Londo seeks to present, inviting visitors not only to observe the process but to take an active part in it. The room is surrounded by a light and reversible wooden structure, and one of the walls contains twelve “photobioreactors”. These are tall glass jars filled with ten liters of live photosynthetic microalgae that absorb CO2 and release oxygen while also producing biomass. Every day, this wall can absorb 240 g of CO2 and spit out 180 g of oxygen and 84 g of biomass.
Why is it remarkable?
Visitors to the laboratory can participate in the daily harvest of this biomass product, which is then processed into bioplastics, biorubbers and 3D printing filaments. These raw materials can then be used to make biodegradable and sustainable products like vases and even stools. Some might find it a little unsettling, but the fact that you’re sitting on what’s practically CO2 and air pollution should feel empowering. We may not be able to completely eliminate polluted air, but we can at least turn it into something harmless and useful.
what we like
- The lab aims to demonstrate the feasibility and sustainability of a circular economy
- The nasal health company Otrivin, who collaborated on this exhibition, will use this process to make their Fibonacci NetiPot nasal sprays
What we don’t like
8. The Polyformer
The polyformer looks interesting from the start and its name sounds like something straight out of fiction. It owes its translucent white appearance to the fact that it is made from recycled PET plastic bottles, giving it a look that also fits its purpose.
Why is it remarkable?
In short, the machine cuts up PET bottles and melts them into filaments just 1.75mm in diameter. These recycled plastic filaments can then be used in regular 3D printers to create more things, likely with the same distinctive translucent look as the polyformer.
what we like
- Offers an alternative to traditional PET bottle recycling
- The designer has provided all the necessary information to recreate it yourself
What we don’t like
9. Angled stands
Designed to easily become the centerpiece of any geek’s table, these stands are 3D printed fairly to scale and designed to easily fit most standard headphones (and even VR headsets!).
Why is it remarkable?
Although each headphone stand is 3D printed (and you can even see the lines on some of them), they also have an amazing amount of detail. Take the Chewbacca headphone stand, bottom right, for example. This is because Angled works with designers and artists to release new variants and models online. Artists create detailed models that are approved by Angled’s team based on size, proportion and their ability to print without imperfections/errors. Once a design is approved by the Angled team, it goes into their store and the artist earns a commission for each sale.
what we like
- They can be customized and painted to make them even more realistic
- Has stands that hold your Xbox or PS controllers
What we don’t like
10. Wabo
Wabo is a collection of hand boards made from plastic scraps that result from 3D printed prototyping. Eight million pieces of plastic end up in the sea every day. That’s a lot of plastic. While some brands are committing to bold sustainable practices that have more to do with marketing than carbon-neutral manufacturing, other brands are learning how to make something out of the plastic waste they produce.
Why is it remarkable?
Multidisciplinary design studio Uido Design is a studio known for its catalog of 3D printable product designs, and its team is doing something about the waste it produces during the design process. Uido Design shreds the plastic waste from 3D printing into small pieces and uses the waste to create hand boards that allow users to ride the ocean waves.
what we like
- The hand boards are handmade
What we don’t like
- Not a necessary product, but still fun!
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