print+ is a product line of DIY tools that allows consumers to create and customize their own products.
Since mechanical parts can be 3D printed locally, only a small amount of material needs to be transported, which reduces costs and environmental impact. This headphone series is the first of print+ DIY kits and will soon enter the market.
Patrick Schuur started the print+ project on Kickstarter in 2015. The goal of print+ is to create fully modular products, with the main parts being 3D printable locally. Parts that cannot be printed are provided by print+ in the form of DIY toolkits. The final product is fully modular, meaning that each part can be easily replaced or reprinted when it wears out or breaks.
For example, if only one speaker breaks, there's no need to discard the entire pair of headphones.
Complete Customization
print+ kits also offer countless customization options. The non-printable parts (wires, speakers, and pads) come in 21 different colors, which, combined with the 3D-printed mechanical parts, means there are a vast number of options to customize the headphones to your personal taste.
print+ provides all 3D files for free, so anyone can customize and improve them. People can print 3D parts, order parts from a local 3D Hub, or get parts from a local 3D printing shop. Once printed, the headphones can be assembled by yourself in about 5 to 10 minutes, without the need for soldering, glue, or screws.
Local Production
Because the main components can be 3D printed locally, print+ headphone kits can be shipped in 1/5 the volume of a fully assembled pair of headphones, reducing shipping volume by 80% compared to typical shipments.
This means that ultimately, fewer materials need to be shipped worldwide, which can have a significant environmental impact when implemented on a large scale. print+ hopes that local plastic production will grow by leaps and bounds, just like this project.
3D Printing and Product Design
Patrick explains that projects like print+ would have been impossible 5 years ago. At that time, 3D printing was inaccessible because it was both expensive and time-consuming. Today, you can draw a design in the morning and have the 3D-printed parts in your hand by the afternoon.
“3D printing shortens the development cycle and improves the quality of the final product, because you can make changes in a shorter amount of time.””
Ultimaker has become an invaluable tool for product designer Patrick. He explains that the machine's reliability, consistency, and flexibility are crucial factors for developing new products like the print+ headphones.
It allows for a large number of design changes in a short time, which is very important for product designers who want to accelerate time-to-market without compromising quality.
By developing products that can be manufactured locally, print+ aims to develop new manufacturing methods and concepts.
The print+ headphones are the first in the print+ series of DIY kits. As Patrick says, “As a developed product, it demonstrates the potential of 3D printers.”
After developing the headphones, more print+ DIY tools will follow.
Please stay tuned to the print+ website for more new information, or visit our webpage to learn about other cases where desktop 3D printers are changing product design.
Original article:https://ultimaker.com/en/stories/49201-print-3d-printed-diy-headphones