This week’s selection is the fascinating Ringmail system by Printables contributor Triple G Workshop.
Many years ago one of my friends was sitting quietly in a corner at school working on something. He had a spool of wire, and with pliers and a side cutter he was making chainmail. He’d cut off a short segment of wire and deftly curl it around a neighboring ring, over and over.
After weeks and weeks he would have a small patch of actual chainmail.
That was then, and this is now. It’s possible to make chainmail with 3D printers in a far more convenient manner, although it is in polymer, not metal.
Triple G Workshop’s Ringmail system is a fascinating toolkit for making ring structures in arbitrary patterns.
It’s composed of only three parts: a ring, a link and a lock. These can be combined in various patterns to create fabric-like structures that can flex and wrap around other objects.
Like people: the Ringmail system might be just what is required for many people’s cosplay projects.
Apparently the Ringmail system is incredibly strong, making it more practical for many applications. This video shows a Ringmail link taking on quite a bit of weight:
Use of the Ringmail system is an interesting combination of automated and manual making processes: the parts are produced by robot, but they’re assembled by a designer into something quite different.
The 3D models supplied for this project include the individual pieces, but also a convenient “starter kit” that includes a large quantity of parts that can be printed in one job.
If you’re looking for a practical system for developing a unique cosplay outfit, take a look at the Ringmail System.
However, if you’re looking for protection against medieval weaponry, perhaps this isn’t the project for you.
Via Printables
