Makerbot

Method X Demo Prints

Showcasing filament properties

industrial design

Prototypiing

Material Exploration

After Makerbot introduced new filaments for their new Method X printer, they realized customers have difficulty identifying the differences between the filaments from just the thumbnail on their website. Spatial Dynamics was asked to create better demonstration pieces to visually convey the advantages and best uses of these filaments.

Since most of Makerbot's customers are engineers working on commercial product developments, the new show pieces need to be mechanical prototypes that can be used for functional testing.

Previous Thumbnails

Current thumbnail pieces do not provide clear visual cues of the differences in material property and their usage.

Nylon

There is no context of what the two gears are printed for. Could have been printed with any material.

PETG

Customers do not understand how this PETG print exemplifies chemical resistance because there is no actual interaction with chemicals.

Rapid Rinse

Example does not have enough Rapid Rinse support to demonstrate how you can print complex and overhang structures without compromising dimensional accuracy.

New Thumbnails

New demonstration pieces and their thumbnails immediately communicates usage and advantage of filament types.

Nylon

Functioning gears can endure wear and tear even when working with metal components, thanks to Nylon's durability and strength.

PETG

Soap dispenser containing chemicals visually indicates PETG's chemical resistance property.

Rapid Rinse

Unibody tape roller with significant overhang can be printed in the best orientation for print strength when using Rapid Rinse.

Nylon - Bicycle Chain Cleaner

These plastic gears need to withstand the stress from a running bicycle chain, and the abrasion from hard debris while rotating and scrubbing. The durability and abrasion resistance of the Nylon filament makes it a perfect fit for this application. The printed parts can be used in a working prototype which can endure rigorous functional testing sessions.

PETG - Soap Dispenser

Pump dispenser components need to be dimensionally accurate in order to draw liquid and function while being constantly submerged in chemicals. This functioning soap dispenser shows that the Method X is able to produce accurate PETG prints with superior moisture and chemical resistance.

Rapid Rinse - Tape Roller

The dissolvable support material enables the Method X to print ABS parts with overhangs or complex geometries in any orientation. The tape roller is oriented to be printed with maximum strength and accuracy in order to closely simulate how an actual injection molded part would function.