Customised garments are gaining more and more popular among users all over the world. Recently, a wide social media community of cats and Marvel movies’ lovers have eagerly shared the photos of an Iron Man helmet designed for a cat. Using a Zortrax 3D printer, Remy Vicarini, a popular influencer from Besançon in France, has crafted a tailor-made helmet for his pet.
As soon as the photos of a cosplayed cat were published, the story went viral on both local and global social media channels. Internet users all over the world realized that 3D printing technology allows for home production of absolutely unique items at affordable prices.
If you have an idea of a product that cannot be found on the market, there are two ways out. You can either hire professionals to bring your idea to life, or you can design and produce it yourself. The first option might be really expensive, while the latter seems to be laborious and time-consuming.
However, the growing availability and affordability of high-quality 3D printing technology have already changed the status quo. Remy Vicarini, who succeeded in attracting a great audience through his social media channels, regularly practices sports with his cat, Cathode, and has come up with an idea to create a helmet for the cat. He has proven by example that high-quality, durable, and functional pieces of extraordinary sizes can be made on a 3D printer by a regular user.
When I adopted Cathode, I thought I have to give her more than just a homelife. Being an outdoor sports lover, I took her on a bike ride, and she liked that. Later we tried a motorbike trip, pretty the same, but faster. That time I noticed her discomfort because of the wind and realized that eye protection was needed,” says Remy Vicarini.
It took a really long time to adjust the first wooden helmet and it turned out to be too heavy. Some other creative attempts included the use of plastic pieces, which Remy tried to adapt and shape into a helmet for Cathode. These were lacking functionality and their appearance was quite questionable. Finally, Remy came to the conclusion that the best solution was to draw the helmet in CAD and 3D print it exactly as he wanted.
“It may sound difficult, but you can design your project in almost any design program you have already used and import it into Z-SUITE software to create the file with instructions for a Zortrax M200 Plus 3D printer. To start with the design, you need the measurements. In my case, I had to wrap Cathode’s head with a sheet of tin foil to get the right sizes. When this time-consuming challenge was tackled, I managed to finish the design in Z-SUITE in a few hours,” convinces Remy.
The final shape of the future print is visible on the screen, wherein the case of Zortrax software, users can position it at whatever angle to check on shapes. When the design is finished, the program requires adding the support structures needed during the printing. Z-Suite software always advises users on how to save time or material on the support angles which is very intuitive and user-friendly.
The proven material for such a helmet is Z-ULTRAT as it is hard enough and provides a smooth and shiny surface of prints. Some post-processing with sandpaper can help to make a helmet even smoother and provide a brighter shade of the covering color if you decide to paint the print afterward. The designs created by Remy have blown up the social media communities of cats and technology lovers. Not only do they look distinctive, but they also serve as eye protection for Cathode, making her sports adventures safe and much more pleasant.
“I discovered this technology and I truly believe it can be helpful in daily life. Using a relatively small desktop 3D printer Zortrax M200 Plus, which I can easily carry around, allowed me to print a variety of things I needed urgently or those I couldn’t find anywhere. Your imagination is the only limit if you have such a handy device at your disposal,” concludes Remy.
The use of desktop 3D printers can empower you to design and print your own 100% customized products at home and makes individualization an approachable concept of future consumption. Existing databases with ready-made projects together with modern software allow you to cut down the process of design and jump directly into creating and printing. Armed with 3D printing technology, you will be able to create any helmet of whatever shape and size customized even for a cat!
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