Jun 1, 2015 | By Simon
Although various 3D print file sharing sites have a seemingly infinite amount of objects, the difficulty of designing objects with articulating joints has made finding more complicated objects - such as action figures with moving arms and legs - a somewhat difficult process.
With that being said, there are quite a few makers who have gone above and beyond to create an array of 3D printable toys or other objects that are intelligently designed to feature any number of moving parts - some of which can be printed assembled on the 3D printer themselves.
More recently, bq, a European company that was founded in 2009 and produces everything from tablets and smartphones to e-readers and even 3D printers has shared what is perhaps one of the more impressive articulating 3D printable figure designs that we’ve seen yet: Dragón Braq (or ‘Braq'). Consisting of 42 separate 3D printed pieces, Braq is a fully-articulated model that, like existing plastic action figures, is held together by a 2-3mm thick elastic cord.
Created by professional artist and 3D modeler Sonia Verdu, who has been creating dragons for years, Braq was designed and modeled from the start with 3D printing in mind after Verdu received a commission offer for the project from bq. While there are 42 pieces in total, all of the final pieces are optimized for 3D printing and require no support material.
For those interested in 3D printing their own Braq dragon, the company has conveniently provided all of the necessary files and instructions on a Thingiverse page which they posted this past Friday.
“In the downloadable files, you will find the G-code files prepared for your 3D printer,” says the company. “We also added the STL files which include brackets and, if you prefer, you can download the original modeled without brackets.”
Once the files have been downloaded, the company recommends that for all parts (except for the head), settings of .2 mm layer height and an infill of 10% are used. Because more detail is required for the head, they recommend that it be 3D printed with a .14 mm layer height and a 40% infill density.
After all of the pieces have been printed, they are then strung together with the elastic cord in order to both keep the assembled pieces together as well as give the articulations a ‘tight’ and realistic feel. In total, one cord runs through the center of the body while two support the wings and two support the the feet and legs. The cord can be sourced from most local hardware stores.
The generous company is no stranger to creating 3D printable files that they release to the community as examples to show what is possible with additive manufacturing technology; their company slogan even states that they “help people understand technology, we inspire them to use it and develop it” - and what better way to teach 3D printing than to create some high quality and free 3D printable files that highlight what the technology is capable of?
You can print your own Braq by heading over to the project’s Thingiverse page.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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I've GOT to have one of those...
Korseth wrote at 3/24/2016 1:59:54 AM:
can the size of the dragon be made bigger?
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