Link to NZ Herald article: Designer on board with 3D
From 2D sketch to 3D printed product selling in two months, this is a story of success!
Photo / Alan Gibson
For many years Roy Stuart has been handcrafting surfboards and fins with the more complex fin designs taking 38 labor hours, finished products are highly tuned, functional works of art:
Roy contacted Palmer Design & Manufacturing to see if we could get the designs in his head into the CAD world for machining or 3D printing, hopefully freeing up time for more creativity while making his designs more available with more options.
Below you can see the drawings we were supplied, CAD model construction using the sketch and final model:
Roy contacted us in October 2013, two months later the first 3D printed fin sold on December 14th (Possibly the first commercially available 3D printed surfboard fins in the world)
Below the internal structure of the polycarbonate fin can be seen (why polycarbonate? click here). Solid areas look clear, Internal part design is an area we focus on heavily at PDM, creating structures that provide high strength to weight ratios:
This product is available for purchase here: Roy Stuart site
Below, a fin being tested at PDM before dispatch. (every fin is tested)
Four fins ready for shipment:
An idea is just an idea until it is doing something useful, can we help make your ideas real?
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