Designing Adaptive Skis for Folks with Disabilities Utilizing 3D Printing

Our September Hacker of the Month, Oliver Vaughan-Jones, is an out of doors, snow-sports fanatic that comes from a design engineering background in central Wales. 

Oliver began his journey into 3D printing early – his father was a dentist who used 3D design and printing to recreate jaws and dental molds for his observe. Seeing the advantages of the know-how early on, Oliver was already conversant in the ideas and functions of 3D printing when he enrolled in Brunel College in 2008 to review design engineering. Oliver additionally labored as a snowboard teacher and was very captivated with snow sports activities.

Throughout his third yr, the scholars had been tasked with making use of for jobs that had been related to their diploma programs. Right here, Oliver landed a chance working with Gillette’s analysis laboratory close to London.

Oliver explains, “It was there, as idea engineers, we got here up with concepts, designs after which used a variety of 3D printers and stereolithography to create progressive idea razors. In reality, again in 2008, the analysis lab already had a division of 4 or 5 employees devoted solely to taking the CAD recordsdata from the designers and making their prints for them – what luxurious!”

However throughout his time at Gillette, Oliver turned extraordinarily unwell and was identified with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a neurological spectrum situation that may have an effect on individuals to various levels. Oliver was hit extraordinarily arduous by the situation, and he has spent the final eleven years bed-bound virtually 90% of the time, and he typically has difficulties with pondering and focus. However Oliver is greater than his situation – beneath all the pieces, he’s nonetheless a design engineer and a snow-sports fanatic at coronary heart, and he’s on a mission to make hitting the slopes a actuality for others who share his love of the mountains.

Decided to make a distinction for himself and others, Oliver began portray in 2017 to lift consciousness of ME in addition to funds – 20% of the gross sales of his work go to analysis right into a remedy for myalgic encephalomyelitis. As soon as his art work gained some traction, he was capable of transfer ahead along with his subsequent objective: designing and making a sit-ski; an adaptive system for many who can’t stand, however nonetheless have upper-torso mobility, that may allow them to shred on the slopes once more.

As soon as he began, he found that many of the present gear is extraordinarily cumbersome and prohibitively costly in lots of circumstances. He felt that he might do a greater job at designing a lighter, extra inexpensive sit-ski regardless of his situation.

So for the final eight months, Oliver has been designing an adaptive sit-ski from scratch, largely from his mattress. Oliver began with sketches to idea his design and rapidly made life-size fashions for cardboard cutout fabricating. On the identical time, he took to YouTube to learn to use Fusion 360 so he might begin to 3D print his cardboard ideas. Oliver’s fundamental design objectives are to develop a platform that has a extra user-friendly worth level, is extra adaptive to extra customers, in addition to extra light-weight from a supplies standpoint.

Oliver explains, “There are various issues; rider weight, rider skill-level, ski-lift entry, materials alternatives, materials thicknesses, and shock absorbers to call just a few. The 3D printing is permitting me to mannequin my concepts up rapidly to see if the mechanics work and, extra importantly, the ergonomics. For instance, some individuals is likely to be lacking limbs or have constructions like prosthetics that have to be accommodated. Dexterity is one other main consideration; poor gripping energy is a matter for me and I want to incorporate buttons or straps which can be straightforward to find and use. Like all design work, it’s juggling many components on the identical time and making an attempt to carry it in underneath finances. I’ve already modeled a full-scale prototype and I’m aiming for a totally purposeful prototype by November. Nevertheless, the straightforward objective is to have one thing I can experience on! I’m outpriced to purchase a ski outright and leases should not potential. This can be a ardour undertaking for me and I can’t wait to experience this winter!”

Oliver is presently working with a Creality CR10S Professional and a Flashforge Dreamer to create his 3D prototypes. Oliver gained priceless perception into all the pieces from mattress leveling, altering the belts, the nozzle, the hotend and plenty of different aspects of 3D printing utilizing the CR10S. Nevertheless, his favourite printer is the Flashforge Dreamer, because it has been extremely in line with virtually each materials he’s thrown at it from PLA to ABS and nylon. He additionally makes use of simplify3D as his slicer because it offers nice management over slice settings and contains a big selection of suitable printer profiles. Proper now, he’s looking for a secure 3D printer with a bigger mattress to accommodate the bigger print quantity he’ll want for a few of his prototype elements. His overarching objective, as soon as his prototypes have been examined, is to manufacture usable elements with NylonX for excessive energy and sturdiness.

Like all designers, Oliver hopes that 3D printers and supplies will proceed to return down in worth to make extra complicated functions out there and inexpensive for everybody. “I’m properly conscious of how very new I’m to 3D printing and I don’t have nice data or expertise in it past the home sub-$1000 vary so far as equipment goes. It does nonetheless really feel like way more of an artwork type relatively than a science to me. I think about home printers of the long run to take over the laborious duties of correct computerized self-leveling, nozzle cleansing and to have higher sensors so when issues begin to go mistaken, they will self-regulate. I feel we’re going to see bigger print volumes come onto the market imminently and having simply been despatched a pattern from a metallic 3D printer, I can see the long run in a number of materials printing with totally different supplies being printed inside one print (complexities like shrinkage charges for every materials calculated beforehand). Past that, I think about one of many subsequent main leaps shall be some type of printed circuitry which shall be integral as a part of the design.”

We’re extraordinarily excited to see the finished sit-ski that Oliver is designing, and we hope that using NylonX within the design makes it probably the most rugged sit-ski available on the market!

In case you’re keen on studying extra about Oliver and his tasks and work, you may go to the next web sites:

For Oliver’s art work: https://www.ovjart.com/

To go to Oliver’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLK4iUyxNVlXgQ7hAXCxA_w