Image of the Day: A beautifully designed 3D-printed kayak

A kayak has been 3D-printed. Taking on a similarly colorful appearance to the storybook character Elmer the Elephant, this kayak’s pieces were 3D-printed then assembled.  Jim Smith from Grass Roots Engineering has been actualizing, developing, and modifying the design of his large 3D printer since 2008. As an engineer at 3D Systems, Smith was inspired to print out this  kayak with a similar design based from Bryan Hansel’s Siskiwit Bay kayak. 
 

The panels for the kayak were printed from the custom build large scale 3D printer that Smith built himself. When the kayak parts started being created, they were heated in a high temperature building chamber between 149degrees-158degrees F that could produce ABS plastic parts without any mid-process warping or cracking occurring. Each 3D-printed layer measured 0.65 mm. It took Smith nearly 42 days to print 28 ABS plastic sectors for the kayak. The 3D-printed pieces were then assembled the 3D-printed parts with machine screws and used brass-threaded inserts with a bit of silicone caulk.

The finished product is 16ft. 8in. long, and weighs 58 lbs.

Story via Grass Roots Engineering