Why I Turned My 3D Printed PPE Papers Into a Podcast

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 3D printing community sprang into action. Makers, engineers, and researchers around the world began producing face shields, ventilator parts, and other critical PPE to help protect frontline workers when supply chains fell short.

You may have already come across my research way back at the start of the pandemic, I was madly tracking all the early 3D printing projects and sharing this publicly and through journal articles. Start here to flashback to the early COVID-19 days!

While my 2 COVID-19 papers gained citations, and one of them was used by the World Health Organization, looking back I still wonder – could I have done more to share my findings? And if I look at my full library of publications, do any of them really make a difference to the world?

That’s why I’ve decided to try something new.

What If Research Could Be Heard, Not Just Read?

I recently created a podcast version of my 3D printing research papers using a service I’ve been building called Podcast My Paper. I use AI to convert academic papers into short, clear, and professionally narrated podcasts—designed for busy people who don’t have time to dig through pages of academic writing. I also add images from research papers to create a simple slideshow-style video, perfect for sharing on YouTube and similar platforms.

Check out the result below.

In just a few minutes, it covers:

• How 3D printing labs responded to PPE shortages
• Key design challenges in printing face shields and respirators
• The long-term potential of distributed manufacturing in healthcare

Built for Researchers, Makers & Communicators

Whether you’re in a lab, a workshop, or scrolling through articles on your lunch break, it’s clear that podcasting is becoming one of the most powerful ways to share ideas—especially technical ones.

But starting a podcast is a lot of work, and requires an engaging personality with energy to produce regular content. That’s why I created Podcast My Paper—to make it simple for researchers (or maker-minded academics like me) to share their work as audio, without needing microphones, editing software, or podcasting experience.

It’s as simple as:

1. Upload 1-3 papers or a thesis to Podcast My Paper
2. Choose the accent of your podcasters (Aussie, UK, USA)
3. Add any specific requirements
4. Sit back and we’ll deliver an audio podcast to your email within 24 hours, or a video in 48 hours.

Why This Matters for 3D Printing Research

The 3D printing community thrives on open source sharing, real-time iteration, and public engagement. But our research often stays locked away behind paywalls, or in formats that non-specialists won’t ever read.

Podcasting offers a new path—one that aligns with the open, collaborative spirit of 3D printing. Whether your paper is about material science, biomedical applications, or parametric design, imagine someone being able to listen to it while driving to the lab or working on their next print.

That’s the future I’m working toward.

Want to Hear What Your Research Sounds Like?

If you’re a researcher in 3D printing (or any other field), check out more demo podcasts and testimonials on my new website: www.podcastmypaper.com

I’m keen to hear your feedback or if you are using other AI tools to podcast research papers.

– Posted by James Novak

3D Print My Shirt: The Next Chapter – Now Live on Etsy!

If you came across the launch of 3D Print My Shirt on Kickstarter, you know we set out on a bold mission to revolutionise custom apparel using 3D printing technology. Our Kickstarter campaign was an exciting step toward making this vision a reality, but despite gaining a passionate following and raising 56% of our funding goal, we fell short of the full amount needed to bring our original project to life.

But we’re not stopping. The revolution has just begun!

Kickstarter was a great source of motivation to kick this idea into high gear, and we gained a huge amount of interest on our social media channels (over 1million views in 30 days on TikTok from a start of zero!). We even had interest from Make: Magazine who wrote a wonderful story about what we’re doing.

Instead of shelving the idea, we’ve taken everything we learned from the process—the feedback, the excitement, and even the technical challenges—and we’ve officially launched on Etsy! This means you can immediately get your hands on our unique 3D printed apparel – no more waiting to reach a funding goal. Click here to check out our Etsy store.

What’s New?

One of the biggest lessons from our Kickstarter journey was refining our materials to ensure durability and wearability. We had so many requests for a dryer-safe option, and as an Aussie who has never needed to own a dryer, this was something I hadn’t thought of! While our original prints were durable, they were PLA and not safe for the dryer or even a hot wash. We’ve since finalised R&D using PETG, which is much more heat resistant and makes our designs even more practical. We continue to offer PLA for more exotic colour choices.

We’ll call some of the comments on our early videos “feedback.”

We also added trucker caps to our range, offering the same customisation options as the original t-shirt, as well as a new font that we call TWUST – also available on t-shirts and trucker caps. So yes, we’ve been busy!

Here’s a summary of what makes our 3D printed clothing better than ever:

✔ No fading, cracking, or peeling – Unlike traditional screen-printed or heat-transferred graphics, our raised 3D prints retain their shape and colour for years.

✔ Heat-resistant material – Our new PETG option ensures that your shirts and hats can handle normal washing and drying without damage.

✔ Tactile, raised designs – The 3D effect creates a unique texture, making our shirts and hats visually striking and incredibly satisfying to touch.

✔ Custom & Limited Edition – We offer one-off custom text prints as well as limited-run graphic designs, ensuring your apparel is as unique as you are.

How to Support Us

Whether you backed us on Kickstarter, shared our campaign, or are just discovering us now—THANK YOU for being part of this movement. The best thing you can do to support us now is to give our Etsy store or any of our products a like, which will help others discover them.

And as always, we continue to share behind-the-scenes videos, experiments and new releases on our TikTok and Instagram accounts.

Thinking of Kickstarter? Watch This First

Below is a little video reflecting on some of the lessons learned from Kickstarter, hopefully it helps anyone thinking about launching one in 2025.

@3dprintmyshirt

it’s been a few days since our #kickstarter ended unsuccessfully and I wanted to share a few lessons from the experience. Sorry, even after editing it’s long! Bring on the tl;dr 🤪 #crowdfunding #interview #ecommerce #maker #fashionbrand #tshirtprinting #tshirtbusiness #etsy #uniquegifts #fail #fails #businessowner #business #fashion #fashiontiktok #fashiontok #lesson #lessonslearned #behindthescenes #3dprint #3dprinting #3ddruck

♬ original sound – 3D Print My Shirt

– Posted by James Novak

Revolutionizing Fashion: 3D Printing Meets Custom T-Shirts

3D printing has already reshaped industries like manufacturing, healthcare, and even food. Now, it’s turning heads in the fashion world. With the launch of my new Kickstarter project, 3D Print My Shirt, I’m thrilled to bring the innovation of 3D printing to a wardrobe staple: the humble T-shirt.

Why 3D Printing? Why T-Shirts?

For years, I’ve been fascinated by the possibilities of 3D printing. That’s how this blog started. It’s a technology that’s not only versatile but also incredibly creative. But when it comes to fashion, we’ve seen little more than prototypes or runway concepts. I wanted to change that.

T-shirts are the perfect canvas for this innovation. They’re universal, expressive, and, let’s face it, everyone loves a great tee. But the way graphics are applied to shirts hasn’t evolved much in decades. Screen printing cracks and fades, heat transfers peel, and even the best techniques have their limitations. Enter 3D printing, which changes the game entirely.

What Makes 3D Printed Graphics Special?

• 3D is the Future: Astronauts wear 3D printed helmets. Athletes race in 3D printed shoes. Why can’t we all enjoy a bit of 3D printed apparel?
• Anything is Possible: By using the third-dimension and novel materials/colors, we can create truly eye-catching graphics that pop. 
• Built to Last: Unlike traditional graphics that fade, crack, and peel, 3D prints stand the test of time.
• Customization: 3D printing allows us to print-to-order. It’s just as easy to print a customized design as a standard design. So why not customize everything?
• Eco-Friendly Materials: PLA plastic is derived from renewable resources, keeping fossil fuels out of the equation. And I’m keen to take back the clothing once it has been worn it to death, recovering the plastic, and reusing it!

The Kickstarter: Make 100 Limited Edition Tees

To launch this revolution, I’ve created a Make 100 campaign on Kickstarter. Long-time readers of this blog may remember back 8 years ago when I had my first successful Kickstarter Make 100 campaign: Robot Picasso, the failed 3D printer turned into a 2D plotter. That was a lot of fun!

This time I have started a brand called 3D Print My Shirt, with the intention of working towards a business that does exactly what it says. This year’s Make 100 campaign seemed the perfect platform to test out the idea and see what people think. The project is centered around a limited-edition T-shirt run, capped at just 100 pieces. Each shirt is customizable, with backers choosing the text that goes on the shirt.

The designs feature a unique multi-coloured PLA filament, giving a holographic effect that changes color depending on the angle of light. It’s eye-catching, modern, and unlike anything else you’ll find in your closet. Plus, with your choice of black or white shirts, it’s easy to pair with your favorite outfit.

A New Era for 3D Printing and Fashion

This project isn’t just about T-shirts. It’s about redefining what’s possible with 3D printing and proving that this technology can bring real, functional change to the way we design and wear clothing. By backing this campaign, you’re not just buying a T-shirt; you’re joining a movement.

How You Can Get Involved

The Kickstarter campaign is live now, running until February 8, 2025. I’d love your support. Whether you back the project or help me spread the word by sharing on your favourite social media, every bit helps. 3D Print My Shirt is also on Instagram and TikTok if you want to keep up to date with everything happening. Together, we can bring the future of fashion to life, one 3D printed shirt at a time.

Check out the Kickstarter here

Let’s make wearable art that lasts, inspires, and leads the way into the future of sustainable fashion. Stay bold, stay creative, and #WearTheFuture!

– Posted by James Novak

Book: 3D Printing For Product Designers

I’m extremely excited to share some news with you all! For the past 2 years I’ve been writing a book that is specifically focussed on 3D printing strategies and case studies for product designers. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Prof. Jennifer Loy and Prof. Olaf Diegel, both very well known leaders in the field. The book is called 3D Printing for Product Designers: Innovative Strategies Using Additive Manufacturing, and is now available for pre-orders direct from the publisher Routledge (at a discounted price!).

In many ways this book closes my personal first chapter in the 3D printing industry, which began in 2009, and brings together experiences and lessons learned working in industry, with industry, and on cutting-edge research projects at several of Australia’s leading universities specialising in 3D printing. Of course, my 3D printed bicycle has been a big part of that journey, and was selected by the team for the front cover, which is a real privilege. And yes, there is a detailed case study in the book that explores this project in more detail for anyone interested.

Obviously there are already some fantastic books on 3D printing, with Ian Gibson et al.’s book Additive Manufacturing Technologies probably the most well known, originally published in 2015. Our co-author Olaf Diegel also led writing a more recent book called A Practical Guide to Design for Additive Manufacturing, and 3D Hubs have a nicely illustrated book called The 3D Printing Handbook. There are others, but one thing most of these books have in common is that they’re particularly written for engineers, with lots of technical guidelines and explanations of the different 3D print technologies (which can date quickly given the rapid pace of technology developments). There isn’t a book written specifically for product and industrial designers using 3D printing, and there isn’t one that helps companies understand how to effectively adopt the technology. That’s where our book fills the gap.

The book revolves around 3 overarching strategies that can be followed chronologically, or selectively chosen depending on a company’s specific needs:

• Strategy 1: Working with existing production – includes rapid prototyping, bridge manufacturing, fixtures, jigs, enhanced tooling and agile manufacturing.
• Strategy 2: Product redesign and new product design – includes part consolidation, light weighting, customisation, form follows function and product innovation.
• Strategy 3: Digital business innovation – includes digital inventory, distribution, personalisation, scalable systems of supply and digital business innovation.

The goal is to help designers and engineers lead their company or client through a process of incremental change. This is particularly important for established companies with a workforce (or management) resistant to change. It can also be used to inform new entrepreneurial activity, allowing startups to begin at the cutting edge of digital business innovation.

Real-world case studies used to illustrate these strategies include bicycles (of course!) and other sports products, guitars, furniture, medical devices and prosthetics, jewellery, heat exchangers and more. Many of these have come from our friends and colleagues around the world, and the book features over 100 high quality colour photos to illustrate these.

The book is currently in production, so I can’t share a lot more right now, but I look forward to sharing some more detailed posts soon to give previews of different sections of the book. Stay tuned!

– Posted by James Novak

3D Printing my NFT Collection

In my previous post I detailed my first efforts creating a 3D printable NFT collection. At that stage I had created all the 3D models and shared them on the OpenSea platform, but I hadn’t 3D printed any of them.

Well, now I have!

Having created and 3D printed countless voronoi and lattice structures, I knew this wouldn’t be a problem, however, I can certainly breathe a little easier knowing that the models are robust and suitable for even a basic FDM 3D printer. I used my old Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus for the 2 models pictured above, and while the PLA filament was a little stringy (has not been stored well), the result was good enough for a proof of concept. No support material was used, and the total print time was about 1.5 hours.

What’s most fascinating about this to me is that now these NFTs exist in both the virtual and physical worlds at the same time. I currently own the virtual models, confirmed on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain, while also owning physical prints of this virtual information. For 0.05 ETH you can buy these 3D models, yet I still own a physical copy. This is where some people have a problem with NFTs, however, for me I think this is the same as what happens with art, music, movies etc. every day; ownership of the original might change, but people still own/trade/share copies. What’s important is that ownership of the original is clearly recorded as a contract (in this case on a blockchain), and can be tracked through time, with royalties paid to the creator each time it is sold.

Anyway, back to the 3D printing. I’m actually offering to send anyone who buys 4 or more of my NFTs 3D printed versions for FREE, anywhere in the world. However, I’m going to improve upon rough FDM prints and get them printed using selective laser sintering (SLS). All you need to do once you buy them is contact me via Twitter (@edditive) or directly here on my blog, show proof of purchase, provide your shipping address, and wait by your mailbox until they turn up. That way you don’t even need a 3D printer to enjoy your NFTs in the real world!

– Posted by James Novak

My First NFT Collection for 3D Printing

Welcome to my first post about NFT’s and 3D Printing!

If you’re new to NFTs like me, I hope you find this interesting with a few little tips and tricks along the way. If I can say one thing about NFTs (aka. Non-Fungible Tokens), it’s that they’re difficult to wrap your head around. Even just a few months ago, I was telling people I didn’t have any interest in making them or buying them. But here I am, dipping my toes in the water, and enjoying the learning process. For me, I found that just jumping in, committing some time and money, and making some NFTs was the best way to figure it all out. You may also need to jump into cryptocurrencies as well, but let’s not fall down this rabbit hole now!

As for explaining the whole concept of NFTs, I’ll leave that to The Verge or Investopedia to describe much better than I can. What’s important to know is that it is essentially a way to buy and sell digital information, which might be an artwork or animation, or even a 3D model. It’s also a way to verify who actually owns the information, even if other people are using it.

This obviously presents some opportunities for 3D printing files. If you wander around my blog, you’ll find dozens of free files that I’ve shared on websites like Thingiverse and Printables (formerly PrusaPrinters). These are normally shared with a Creative Commons license like CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, allowing anyone to download, 3D print, remix, copy and share the design, as long as they don’t try and sell it. I’ve even sold some files under different license terms. However, what can be much harder to document is who actually owns the design if thousands of people have downloaded it. For example, the designs I share online all link back to my profile, and it’s relatively clear who created the original. As long as someone doesn’t re-upload the file under their own profile, which is unfortunately a common problem! But what if you really love a particular design, and don’t just want to download a copy of it like everyone else but own the rights to it? Typically this would require some contracts between the designer (e.g. me) and the buyer to formalise, including payment and royalty conditions. This is where the NFT system can work nicely, as it is set up to be a digital contract that documents this, and supports the transfer of payments and royalties.

This is what I wanted to learn more about. So, I’ve created my first NFT collection for 3D printing, which is called BITSnATOMS – 3D Typeset for 3D Printing. As the name suggests, it’s a collection of 44 numbers, letters and symbols that people can collect to represent their name, initials, brand, etc. Through 3D printing, they can exist in the digital and physical worlds at the same time, which is a bit beyond what most NFTs offer. The GIFs below give you an idea of the voronoi geometry used for the typeface, but if you check out the link to the collection you’ll be able to actually interact with the 3D models.

The design itself combines several of the things I’ve shown in tutorials on this blog before, for example my video showing how to lightweight a bike brake lever. I might write another article later about how I actually created these, but the short version goes something like:

• A basic 3D model was created in Solidworks and exported as a STL file.
• This mesh was then rebuilt in Rhinoceros to have a more random and controlled collection of faces.
• Next, it was imported into Meshmixer to create the voronoi lattice structure you see.
• Lastly, and this part is important for NFTs on OpenSea, I used Microsoft Paint 3D to convert the STL file into a GLB file.

A GLB file is used for virtual reality, and OpenSea can directly embed this within its listing of your NFT, making it interactive so people can properly view your design. At the time of writing, there was no support for other 3D file formats that might be used for 3D printing, and there was also no GLB export method in any of my CAD packages. The good news is that GLB files open in Cura, making them directly 3D printable, or they can be opened up again in Paint 3D and converted back to STL files. There are also plenty of free online converters.

The actual process of listing NFTs gets a bit more complex (at least for a newbie). Thankfully OpenSea provides really great tutorials on getting set up with an account, as well as creating and listing your first NFT. I followed these to the letter, and had no issues, opting for a MetaMask wallet to hold my cryptocurrencies. Again, I could write a whole article about this part of the process, and may do so in future.

The rest of the NFT process is much like listing any item for sale online: Uploading the actual NFT (or information about how it can be accessed after purchase), a description, price, listing duration and you’re done. Multiple items can form what’s called a “collection,” although I found that the process of uploading each item individually was a bit painful, there is currently no batch upload process. Most of the things you hear about NFTs are actually collections, sometimes many thousands of items, rather than one-off items, and some of the items in these collections are worth hundreds-of-thousands of dollars each! For example, the Bored Ape Yacht Club is probably the most famous collection, with 10,000 artworks. The cheapest of these is currently selling for 111 ETH (which is worth $395,000 USD, or $527,000 AUD)! So multiply this by 10,000 and there is some serious money involved in this collection.

But this would be the exception, rather than the rule, for NFT success.

The challenge now seems to be all about marketing – there are so many millions of NFTs available that it’s extremely difficult to stand out, especially as a newbie who has neither bought nor sold an NFT before. So stay tuned as I figure out this part! For now, if you check out my collection and could share it on your social media, that would be a fantastic start.

I hope this was a useful intro to NFTs for 3D printing, please comment with any questions or ideas, or let me know what you’d like me to cover in the next blog article.

– Posted by James Novak

The Rise of 3D Printed Prosthetic Eyes

Recently there’s been quite a lot of attention on the use of 3D printing to manufacture artificial eyes (aka. ocular prostheses). This has largely been due to an announcement out of the UK that the world’s first 3D printed artificial eye was implanted in a patient.

Quite a cool milestone and application of 3D printing, and also happens to be a field I’ve been investigating for the past 6 months with some of my colleagues at the Herston Biofabrication Institute. We’ve just published a review of all research into the use of 3D printing for orbital and ocular prostheses, and you can access the full article for free here.

The graph above does a nice job of showing the overall trend for research on this topic, with the first ever paper dating back to 2004. Early studies like this certainly weren’t 3D printing eyes and implanting them in patients, but instead used 3D printing as part of the process, creating moulds and similar devices. The first time a 3D printed part was directly used as part of a prosthesis was in 2014.

Perhaps one of the best ways to demonstrate what is possible now using full-colour 3D print methods (material jetting) is the below video from Weta Workshop. While these may be eyes for monsters, the same principle is being used for human prosthetic eyes. One of the key differences between what Weta Workshop have achieved, and what is being done for patients, is the need for biocompatible materials, as well as the need for a patient’s eye to perfectly match their existing “good” eye.

While it’s early days in the clinical trial phase of implementing 3D printing for prosthetic eyes, there are many benefits which we summarised from our research, including:

• Manual steps in prosthesis fabrication can be replaced by digital methods, potentially saving time
• Less discomfort to patients through use of medical imaging or 3D scanning techniques
• Weight reduction compared to traditional methods
• Improved accuracy and fitting of prosthesis
• Minimised need for gluing a prosthesis to the skin
• Good realism of eye
• Ability to easily re-print the same components in the future

Of course, there are currently some limitations as well, such as:

• End-use 3D printed parts are typically not biocompatible and require coating with PMMA or used as a mould to cast with biocompatible material (although the UK trial shows that direct 3D printing of multi-colour biocompatible materials may be possible)
• Experience in computer-aided design (CAD) technology is required, which is not part of traditional skillset for prosthetist
• AM times are slow (although they can also happen overnight or while a specialist does other things)
• Rough surface quality of parts requires additional post-processing e.g. polishing
• Challenges associated with using 3D scanners e.g. patient movement or scanning anatomy with hair
• Expert manual skills are still required for some steps of the workflow
• Use of CT scanning for the purposes of creating a prosthetic increases patient exposure to potentially harmful radiation

Research to-date has been limited to small case studies and engineering experiments, making it difficult to understand whether outcomes will translate to the clinical context. It will be great to see how the UK clinical trial progresses, and hopefully provides improved outcomes for patients. Let’s watch this space!

– Posted by James Novak

Xmas Brain Decoration

Let me start this off by agreeing with you – yes, this is a weird idea!

But when you work at the Herston Biofabrication Institute and spend most of your days working on neurosurgery and other medical projects, it hopefully makes a bit more sense why anyone would 3D print a “Merry Xmas” brain to decorate our office Christmas tree.

The design of this was quite simple and was based on some tutorials I’ve previously written about mashups and remixes – basically, taking 2 (or more) different files and joining them together in a new and creative way. The brain itself was downloaded here, and then the letters were quickly modelled in Solidworks and exported as individual STL files. All of this was then combined in Meshmixer, which is my go-to software for this type of mashup project (and it’s free for anyone looking to do the same).

This was 3D printed on my Craftbot Flow IDEX XL 3D printer in PLA, with a small hole drilled on the top afterwards to thread a piece of string through. And of course, I’m giving this design away for free to anyone crazy enough to also want a 3D printed Xmas brain decoration! Just click the links below to your preferred 3D print file website and enjoy:

Thingiverse, Cults, MyMiniFactory, Prusa, Pinshape.

Merry Christmas and happy 3D printing 🙂

– Posted by James Novak

From bespoke seats to titanium arms, 3D printing is helping Paralympians gain an edge

Jeff Crow/AAP Image

Authors: James Novak, The University of Queensland | Andrew Novak, The University of Technology Sydney

** Please note: this is a copy of an article I wrote for The Conversation, published on 3rd September, 2021, and is shared under a CC-BY-ND license. You can access the original article by clicking here.**

Major sporting events like the Paralympics are a breeding ground for technological innovation. Athletes, coaches, designers, engineers and sports scientists are constantly looking for the next improvement that will give them the edge. Over the past decade, 3D printing has become a tool to drive improvements in sports like running and cycling, and is increasingly used by paralympic athletes.

The Paralympics features athletes with a diverse range of abilities, competing in a wide range of different categories. Many competitors use prosthetics, wheelchairs or other specialised components to enable them to perform at their best.

One interesting question is whether 3D printing widens or narrows the divide between athletes with access to specialised technologies, and those without. To put it another way, does the widespread availability of 3D printers — which can now be found in many homes, schools, universities and makerspaces — help to level the playing field?

Forget mass production

Mass-manufactured equipment, such as gloves, shoes and bicycles, is generally designed to suit typical able-bodied body shapes and playing styles. As such, it may not be suitable for many paralympians. But one-off, bespoke equipment is expensive and time-consuming to produce. This can limit access for some athletes, or require them to come up with their own “do-it-yourself” solutions, which may not be as advanced as professionally produced equipment.

3D printing can deliver bespoke equipment at a more affordable price. Several former paralympians, such as British triathlete Joe Townsend and US track athlete Arielle Rausin, now use 3D printing to create personalised gloves for themselves and their fellow wheelchair athletes. These gloves fit as if they were moulded over the athlete’s hands, and can be printed in different materials for different conditions. For example, Townsend uses stiff materials for maximum performance in competition, and softer gloves for training that are comfortable and less likely to cause injury.

3D-printed gloves are inexpensive, rapidly produced, and can be reprinted whenever they break. Because the design is digital, just like a photo or video, it can be modified based on the athlete’s feedback, or even sent to the nearest 3D printer when parts are urgently needed.

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Read more: Paralympians still don’t get the kind of media attention they deserve as elite athletes

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Harder, better, faster, stronger

An elite athlete might be concerned about whether 3D-printed parts will be strong enough to withstand the required performance demands. Fortunately, materials for 3D printing have come a long way, with many 3D printing companies developing their own formulas to suit applications in various industries – from medical to aerospace.

Back in 2016, we saw the first 3D-printed prosthetic leg used in the Paralympics by German track cyclist Denise Schindler. Made of polycarbonate, it was lighter than her previous carbon-fibre prosthetic, but just as strong and better-fitting.

With research showing sprint cyclists can generate more than 1,000 Newtons of force during acceleration (the same force you would feel if a 100-kilogram person were to stand on top of you!), such prosthetics need to be incredibly strong and durable. Schindler’s helped her win a bronze medal at the Tokyo games.

Denise Schindler on her way to a medal in Tokyo. Thomas Lovelock

More advanced materials being 3D printed for Paralympic equipment include carbon fibre, with Townsend using it to produce the perfect crank arms for his handbike. 3D printing allows reinforced carbon fibre to be placed exactly where it is needed to improve the stiffness of a part, while remaining lightweight. This results in a better-performing part than one made from aluminium.

3D-printed titanium is also being used for custom prosthetic arms, such as those that allow New Zealand paralympian Anna Grimaldi to securely grip 50kg weights, in a way a standard prosthetic couldn’t achieve.

Different technologies working together

For 3D printing to deliver maximum results, it needs to be used in conjunction with other technologies. For example, 3D scanning is often an important part of the design process, using a collection of photographs, or dedicated 3D scanners, to digitise part of an athlete’s body.

Such technology has been used to 3D-scan a seat mould for Australian wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott, allowing engineers to manufacture a seat that gives him maximum comfort, stability and performance.

3D scanning was also used to create the perfect-fitting grip for Australian archer Taymon Kenton-Smith, who was born with a partial left hand. The grip was then 3D-printed in both hard and soft materials at the Australian Institute of Sport, providing a more reliable bow grip with shock-absorbing abilities. If the grip breaks, an identical one can be easily reprinted, rather than relying on someone to hand-craft a new one that might have slight variations and take a long time to produce.

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Read more: 3 reasons why Paralympic powerlifters shift seemingly impossible weights

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All these technologies are increasingly accessible, meaning more non-elite athletes can experiment with unique parts. Amateurs and professionals alike can already buy running shoes with 3D-printed soles, and 3D-printed custom bike frames. For those with access to their own 3D printer, surf fins, cycling accessories and more can be downloaded for free and printed for just a few dollars.

However, don’t expect your home 3D printer to be making titanium parts anytime soon. While the technology is levelling the playing field to a certain extent, elite athletes still have access to specialised materials and engineering expertise, giving them the technological edge.

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This article was co-authored by Julian Chua, a sports technology consultant at ReEngineering Labs and author of the Sports Technology Blog.

3D Printed Outdoor Lights in PETG

It’s official – my entire house now uses 3D printed light covers!

If you follow this blog you may have seen some of my previous indoor light covers, featuring a 3D scanned sea urchin shell and a pineapple. Of course, I couldn’t stop with indoor lights, especially since the outdoor wall-mounted lights on my house looked like the cheapest fittings available. They were desperately in need of an upgrade.

Luckily the fitting includes a piece that is easily unscrewed to accommodate standard DIY light covers. A few simple measurements, including the diameter of the fitting and distance of the protruding light bulb, meant that I had everything needed to create my own design in CAD. For this one I decided to use Fusion 360, just to keep my skills up as I’ve done a few projects in Solidworks recently. The only other limitation was the size of the Prusa MK3S+ build volume (250 x 210 x 210mm), as I wanted the light cover to be 3D printable in a single piece.

Putting all of this information in Fusion 360 gave me a starting point, and of course I began experimenting with a few simple ideas. The one that stuck was this collection of lofts that twist in different directions. Not overly complex, just a clean design that is easy to clean (a complex lattice would just invite spiders!) and protects the lightbulb from sun/rain. Because these are mounted quite high on the walls, what I really wanted was a cool effect when you are looking directly up at the light from below – see the top right image.

Something else I experimented with for the first time with this design was 3D printing using PETG filament – specifically, PETG from eSun. Why? Mainly because PETG has good UV stability so should last while out in the elements and sunshine. But what I’ve really enjoyed is how easy it is to print with – no warping, good adhesion to the build platform and no smelly fumes while printing. Happy days! I actually used the default PETG settings in PrusaSlicer and they seem to be dialled in nicely (no surprises really, thanks Prusa). The material also has a translucency, so the light shade has a bit of a glow when the light is on as you can see in the photos. If you’re looking for more details about the material properties and slicing settings for PETG, this article is a good starting point.

And of course, I’m giving this design away for FREE! Download from your favourite 3D file marketplace: Thingiverse, Pinshape, Cults, MyMiniFactory or PrusaPrinters.

Happy 3D printing.

– Posted by James Novak