Sponsored by the Protolabs digital manufacturing provider, the 3D Printing Industry Awards returned for a fourth time with its traditional competition for the best 3D printed trophy design. The Awards were to have been held back in 2020, but the event was delayed due to the pandemic.
The conditions for entries were as follows:
Min/max size of 75 x 75 x 75 mm/125 x 125 x 125 mm;
Inclusion of a lattice structure;
Internal channels;
Optimization for printing in two different materials: SLA and MJF/SLS;
Minimum feature size for SLA prints: 0.15–0.20 mm;
Minimum feature size for MJF/SLS prints: 0.75 mm.
The prize was given to James Novak for his interesting design that complied with all the requirements of the competition. The winner received a large, dual extrusion version of the top-tier Craftbot Flow 3D printer.
Dwelling upon his project, James said, “My ideas for the trophy were really inspired by the brief: to be 3D printed in 2 different materials and processes (MJF and SLA) and feature lattice structures and internal details. To me, this had a bit of a yin and yang feel to it, with MJF parts being dark gray or black, and SLA being translucent. So I built on this, creating a sculptural form that was then split into 2 pieces, with the lower MJF part featuring an external lattice structure like an exoskeleton, and the clear SLA part featuring internal lattice structures that could be seen but not touched.”
The design is truly amazing, but there were also a number of other great works from talented participants: for example, Vignesh Kumar designed a fascinating trophy with a hand at its inner core.
Madhav Parekh created a Voronoi Ruby Trophy consisting of a transparent linear pattern and red sliding in a tight fit.
Next is a cube made by Benjamin Cann that holds multiple panels of different designs illustrating current 3D printing applications. It was inspired by both the Awards banner and Protolabs’ logo
And this conceptual model by Maxime Lharidon was inspired by generative design, with its frame being melted inside the body to represent a “new and unexpected organic shape”.
The last trophy we’ve decided to mention was designed by Arthur Grygoryan and seems to emphasize the capabilities of SLA and SLS printing. The prism features an internal interwoven lattice design with a lattice-structured base and looks really fantastic.
