German designer and bicyclist Thorsten Wilms writes on his recent personal collision between biking and 3D printing. He had purchased a headlamp for his new bike, but found that the existing contraptions attached to the handlebars didn’t leave sufficient space to attach the new lamp. After trying a couple of variations, he gave up trying to solve the problem using standard commercial practices and instead attempted to solve the situation himself with 3D printing. By modeling the required part, he was able to produce a design for the attachment piece that would likely work.
Not having his own 3D printer, he turned to Shapeways, who offer their “Strong and Flexible” material that somehow seemed appropriate for this application. The part was printed, delivered and successfully installed on the bike.
Another small piece of life saved by 3D printing!
Via Thorwil
