Here’s a fun vertical application of 3D printing: EncodeRing, a physical manifestation of your voice, on demand.
The system is devilishly simple: press a button to record your voice and it immediately produces a metal ring design with a shape conforming to the waveform of your recording.
At top you can see the ring generated by us saying “Fabbaloo”.
Once you’ve got your design straight, you pick the type of metal you’d like it produced in (platinum, 18K gold, silver, stainless gold or stainless steel) and the ring size (ranging from 14.4mm to 18.7mm diameter). Press “Order this ring” and it’s being 3D printed for you.
Messages can be up to three seconds long, so you must be concise. Also note that the volume of your audio stream can make the pattern wider, so loudmouths will no doubt generate thick rings.
Pricing is quite variable, as it depends on the material chosen, size of ring and the amount of material required to produce the pattern. In the case of the ring we “designed” above, the pricing would vary from USD$124 for a stainless steel version, to USD$1,240 for a platinum ring. It takes about a month to produce and ship the ring.
I believe this is a very good example of how to leverage 3D printing for a very specific use. It keeps things quite simple for users, who are able to “design” a 3D object with their voice with no training whatsoever.
Japan-based EncodeRing appears to do some related products as well, including “Encode Ring MUSIC”, where voice and music are used to create “live goods”. It seems that this is a custom service.
Via EncodeRing
