ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
THE CAT IN A
(3D-PRINTED)
HAT
The capacity of 3D printing to enable home design and manufacture of items not commercially
available is one of its most appealing characteristics, but few applications can be more niche than
that of one man and his cat.
Customised garments are
gaining more and more
popularity among users all
over the world. Recently, a
wide social media community
of cats and Marvel movies’
lovers have eagerly shared the photos of an
Iron Man helmet designed for a cat. Using a
Zortrax 3D printer, Remy Vicarini, a popular
infl uencer from Besançon in France, has
crafted a tailor-made helmet for his pet.
As soon as the photos of a cosplayed cat
were published, the story went viral on
both local and global social media
channels. Internet users all over the world
realized that 3D printing technology allows
for a home production of absolutely
unique items at aff ordable prices.
20 » MARCH 2021 » WWW.MADEIN.IE
If you have an idea of a product that
cannot be found on the market, there are
two ways out.
You can either hire professionals to
bring your idea to life, or you can design
and produce it yourself. The fi rst option
might be really expensive, while the latter
seems to be laborious and timeconsuming.
However, the growing
availability and aff ordability of highquality
3D printing technology have
already changed the status quo. Remy
Vicarini, who succeeded in attracting a
great audience through his social media
channels, regularly practices sports with
his cat, Cathode and has come up with an
idea to create a helmet for the cat. He has
proven by example that high-quality,
durable and functional pieces of
extraordinary sizes can be made on a 3D
printer by a regular user.
“When I adopted Cathode, I thought I
have to give her more than just a homelife.
Being an outdoor sports lover, I took her
on a bike ride, and she liked that. Later we
tried a motorbike trip, pretty the same, but
faster. That time I noticed her discomfort
because of the wind and realised that eye
protection was needed,” says Remy
Vicarini.
It took a really long time to adjust the
fi rst wooden helmet and it turned out to
be too heavy.
Some other creative attempts included
the use of plastic pieces, which Remy tried
to adapt and shape into a helmet for
/WWW.MADEIN.IE