ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Charging ahead
WWW.MADEIN.IE « MARCH 2021 « 21
Cathode. These were lacking
functionality and their
appearance was quite
questionable. Finally,
Remy came to the
conclusion that the best
solution was to draw
the helmet in CAD and
3D print it exactly as he
wanted.
“It may sound diffi cult, but
you can design your project in
almost any design program you have
already used and import it into Z-SUITE
software to create the fi le with instructions
for a Zortrax M200 Plus 3D printer. To
start with the design, you need the
measurements. In my case, I had to wrap
Cathode’s head with a sheet of tin foil to
get the right sizes. When this timeconsuming
“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
challenge was tackled, I
liked that”
managed to fi nish the design in Z-SUITEin
a few hours,” convinces Remy.
The fi nal shape of the future print is
visible on the screen, where in the case of
Zortrax software, users can position it at
whatever angle to check on shapes. When
the design is fi nished, the program
requires adding the support structures
needed during the printing. Z-Suite
software always advises users on how to
save time or material on the support
angles which is very intuitive and
user-friendly.
The proven material for such a helmet is
Z-ULTRAT as it is hard enough and
provides a smooth and shiny surface of
prints. Some post-processing with
sandpaper can help to make a helmet even
smoother and provide a brighter shade of
the covering colour if you decide to paint
the print afterward. The designs created by
Remy have blown up the social media
communities of cats and technology lovers.
Not only do they look distinctive, but they
also serve as eye
protection for Cathode,
making her sports
adventures safe and
much more pleasant.
“I discovered this
technology and I truly
believe it can be
helpful in daily life.
Using a relatively small
desktop 3D printer Zortrax
M200 Plus, which I can easily
carry around, allowed me to print a
variety of things I needed urgently or
those I couldn’t fi nd anywhere. Your
imagination is the only limit if you have
such a handy device at your disposal,”
concludes Remy.
The use of desktop 3D printers can
empower you to design and print your
own 100% customized products at home
and makes individualization an
approachable concept of future
consumption. Existing databases with
ready-made projects together with
modern software allow you to cut down
the process of design and jump directly
into creating and printing. Armed with 3D
printing technology, you will be able to
create any helmet of whatever shape and
size customised even for a cat! MADE
Volta Spark is a universal charging
cable that will come in handy for
anyone who owns any electrical
device. Although cables with
interchangeable tips already exist
on the market, manufacturers nd
designers declare that none of them
is so resistant to damages. Made with
ultra-strong, tangle-free militarygrade
nylon, this cable is 10 times
more durable than other market offers
and comes with a lifetime warranty.
The benefi ts of the cable have already
been outlined by the community of
Indiegogo.com crowdfunding website,
where the campaign goal was met
with the 2000% of its completion!
Due to the specifi city of the project,
it would be too diffi cult to assess its
functionality without 3D printing
the prototypes. “We knew that the
use of a 3D printer is necessary to
properly assess the proportions of
the fi nal product. When creating our
fi rst concept, everything seemed to
be perfectly calculated, but printing
the element revealed up to 4mm of
oversize. This is a huge error for such
a project. Initially, the client wasn’t
inclined to print and test all the
elements because of potentially high
costs. However, printing prototypes
for such type of a project can be
completed on a desktop printer that
minimises the costs and provides
an irreplaceable help in the design
process,” says one of the Co-founders
from Metafora Design.
All the prototypes of the device were
made on Zortrax printers. The original
prototype was printed on the M200
Plus printer with Zortrax Z-HIPS
and Z-PLA Pro fi lament. This print
helped the designers to introduce
changes and refi ne their design in the
fastest way. The fi nal prototype was
made on the Zortrax Inkspire resin
printer, which ensures exceptional,
microscopical printing accuracy.
/WWW.MADEIN.IE
/Indiegogo.com