Design of the Week: Phytome

By on May 13th, 2013 in Design

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This week’s selection is another practical item, particularly at this time of year: the Phytome by Zheng3. While this piece looks like a rather sparse-looking upside down cup, it actually has a very useful purpose: 
 
It’s a 3D-printed seedling cage that’s designed to keep mid-sized varmits from disturbing one’s sprouts while allowing rain and sunlight to pass through its webbing.
 
This example is 15cm tall, the largest size possible on Zheng3’s Replicator 1. There are numerous overhangs in this design, but if your 3D printer’s settings are set carefully, you may be able to print the Phytome without support material. 
 
Oh, did we mention this 3D model is freely available for download at Zheng3’s site? Start printing before your plants get too tall. 
 
Via Zheng3

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!