www.3ders.org

Jan 19, 2015 | By Alec

It’s no secret that 3D printing can be used to tailor objects to suit all your personal preferences. So while you’re at it, why not make sure that these objects are ergonomic as well? This will not only make objects look more streamlined, elegant and professional, it will also provide more comfort and will make usage less straining on your own body.

Of course, most 3D printers we use to toy around with aren’t exactly suited for printing flexible and ergonomic objects, and that is probably exactly why the Boston-based team behind PlusFab chose to work with Formlabs’ excellent Form 1+ SLA 3D printer. Exploring Formlabs’ latest resin Flexible, they have developed a series of great and ergonomic grips which you can download for free from their website.

Not only do these grips look great, they also feature a series of ‘channels’ to maximize grip and comfort. As Andrew Edman, the man behind PlusFab, explained, this multi-purpose flexible resin proved to be the perfect material for ergonomic 3D printing. ‘When we heard about the new Flexible material from Formlabs our first thought was how it would help us iterate faster on products that have an overmolded rubber component.’ Not only did it prove great for realizing their rubber grip concept, 3D printing even allowed for them to easily include their company logo.

Perhaps more important is that these grips are perfect for anyone suffering from arthritis or other medical conditions affecting grip. Being 3D printed, these grip designs can obviously also be adapted to suit your own ergonomic preferences and needs. And if broken, you can easily reprint one perfect for yourself.

PlusFab, a small start-up company specializing in small scale clever manufacturing, have thus created a clever little product that highlights the potential of 3D printers. And to their credit, they have even shared their STL files here, so you can print some handles for your own use. Should you happen to own a Form +1 3D printer, then you can achieve PlusFab’s cool transparent effect by sanding the product down to ‘5000 grit’.

Of course, not all of us have access to the rather pricy but excellent Formlabs printer, but who knows what kind of results you can have with flexible FDM filament? If you’re printing objects for daily use, you might as well optimize their design by focusing on the ergonomic side of the equation. I don’t except people will start 3D printing ergonomic chairs or entire keyboards anytime soon, but what about handles for tools? 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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