Weekend Contest #15: Get Your Squishy On!

(Image: Stag 150mm High by Dotsan)

Did you have a chance to look at our new Elasto Plastic yet? We launched it last week and we're already seeing some pretty amazing things coming out of our printers (daily routine: arrive at the office, grab some coffee, walk past the printers to see what's going on, have mind blown).

What will you use it for? This weekend I challenge you to come up with some rad new applications for flexible 3D printed objects.

To up the ante, you can win a $50 printing voucher this week!

Enjoy!

How to Enter

Design something that requires flexibility. Post your work here on the forum, and add a picture! Deadline is Monday evening, midnight.

What's the prize?

$50 to use towards your creation, or any other Shapeways purchase.

That's all?

Certainly. Have fun!

I guess this is the place to enter my design? I don't want to cross post, but here's a shortened version of the description I posted in the other elastic discussion thread;

I recently got a Fitbit Flex, which is a health activity tracking device about the size of a Tylenol capsule. It comes with a bracelet that has a little pocket for the tracker. Here's a pic of the fitbit tracker and braclet that holds it;



I wear a watch and don't want to wear the bracelet, so what I came up with is the Fitbit Backpack. It's a little pouch that can slip on to a watch band or other bracelet, and hold the fitbit inside. That way I can wear my watch and still have the Fitbit on.

For reference of scale, the length of the main part is about 1.5" and it's about .5" wide. The rings at each end are designed for a 24mm (~1") watch band and I have also designed (and ordered) one with a 22mm ring to see if the material is stretchy enough to fit a larger wrist band, and if that holds it in place better. Cost of production on this is about $6.

View attachment 33940

Waetherman - nice idea.

I don't know what this material feels like, how soft it is etc, but if it were me I would round the parts that I presume are next to your wrist, under the strap. Otherwise I can imagine it might be uncomfortable.

That's an interesting thought - I'll have to see how the prototypes come out and whether that's a problem or not. The rings are just 2mm thick, so I don't think it'll be too uncomfortable - I imagine they'll barely touch the wrist. But you're right, it would probably be better either way if it were rounded.

My idea for the Elasto Plastic is to use it as a socket for prosthetic limbs.

The socket is the part of the artificial limb that connects with the patient's residual limb, or limb stump. From what I've learned, the socket plays a huge roll in how well the prosthetic will work. If it's uncomfortable or rigid, it will not be favorable to the wearer.

By using Elasto Plastic and 3D scanning technology, the socket can be improved dramatically. The elastic property of the material will hold the stump to the prosthetic better by compressing it gently to create a tighter seal. By 3d scanning the stump and printing the socket you can create a more accurate fit that is custom made to the individual (better than using molds). Because the human body is in motion, the material will flex as needed, yet retain its shape. Think of it as Elasto Plastic Tissue - the interface between man and machine.

I've included a few images here. Since the material also takes dye, it would be amazing to create some artwork on the socket too (see last photo).

How could I not make something in Elasto Plastic for my favorite pen kit from last week's contest?

I present to you the lumpy bumpy elastic pen sleeve/blank for metallo pen kits! On the bright side it will not need any post production finishing work except for possibly coloring it with dye. A tie die pattern would be cool. Hopefully it will arrive long enough to fit on the kit. For this application having the part come back longer than the design file is a good thing. It would let the "squish" action replace the work of sanding the part to fit.

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Is your model public MrNib? Not showing up.

Finally finished a couple of pens using the same design file as what is being fabbed in elasto right now for future comparison. I'm not sure if anyone actually wants to use a squishy pen though unless it's labelled as making it more ergonomic...

Ah but we can't see your picture that's liked to a private item.

Made the model public. permalink: http://shpws.me/o8US

i touched it. when you rub your fingers over the surface it feels slightly grainy-- almost fuzzy. it's not unpleasant. i also saw duanne's attempts to dye it and it looks like it took the dye decently well.

Uhmm... *ahem*.... Do sex toys count?

Waiting for the next monday when my first test of this new material will arrive:

View attachment 33983

It consists of two bands for a caterpillar and an elastic hose, both for a discontinued construction game similar to Lego, so the fit is incompatible but the idea could be used on Lego.

An air muscle.

Can you post a link, I can't find it.

thanks,
c

link to what? my eyes perceived an item in real life. i cannot provide a link to my brain. not yet. sorry!

I created these key decorations. My boyfriend Simon and I have the same kind of housekeys (as we both live on campus). Its very hard to see which key is which. So I made these two things that can be put over the keys.

I finally saw the new Star Trek movie last night and got a glimpse of an alien tree creature in the opening scenes of the film. It was some kind of tree anemone or sea squirt that catches and eats smaller aliens. It should be nice and wiggly made in this new-fangled elastic process! I added some internal structures based on the teachings of my high school biology teacher. Annular muscle rings, mouth structure, stomach pouch, pooper hole, etc.




https://www.shapeways.com/model/1143604
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These aren't entries but are to test materials for dyeing, painting, compatibility with chemicals or other physical stress. Nothing fancy just simple rods, strips, and disks. It's cheaper than ruining a prize print with a bad choice of decorating. I will try some elasto ribbons to test dyes.

http://images1.sw-cdn.net/model/picture/220x165_1105603_1014 612_1369019702.jpg

Hey all,

wow! There's some great work coming in from this week's contest. We still have a full day to go, so keep them coming

Bart