Sophie’s Ring Design
Reiterating that I have never participated in a technology class similar to 3D Printing before, each project enlightens me on a different creation that I never thought was possible through 3D printing. As a fashion lover myself, I have always been a big fan of jewelry. Being assigned a project where I will be able to create a ring design of my own and also be able to print it in a real metal material appealed very much to me. Of course now comes the part of actually working this fancy technology.
In the first weeks of class we were introduced to Dr. Taalman’s design of a moon ring. Her ring had me brainstorming. I then had the idea of a wave ring or something that correlated to water, being that back in New Jersey, I live at the beach. After many trial and errors on Fusion 360 and Meshmixer I could not settle with how the ring was turning out. It was not until I learned how to shape the ring from the outside, using Meshmixer to create a bumpy effect on my ring.
The above image is a screenshot of my ring on Meshmixer. I used the sculpt tool to create my desired edges and texture of the ring.
At first I wanted to make wave imprints on the ring but then I got the idea that it should look warn, kind of like a washed up shell or rock. The final design ended up being just that simple which is why I like it so much because it is unique in every area of the ring.
I printed the ring using the class printers and I am really happy of how thin the ring is and just the elegance of the uneven bumps that make the ring look like it is very natural and organically designed although the process was really just simple. I then ordered the ring off Shapeways in White Strong and Flexible Polished. I hope after that ring comes in that I like it enough to order the ring again in Shapeways in a metal material. Below our various pictures and steps that I had gone through to reach my end product.
The above pink printed ring was the ring we made in the earlier weeks of this project. This ring is a step by step follow up from the directions given by Dr. Taalman to create the simple and plain beginning model. The pictured ring fits me perfectly, being a size 7, and printed smooth with no issues. From this ring I began to design my own.
The next above ring is the final product I created that was printed in our class printers. This ring is again thinner and bumpier but is what I wanted for my design. I like how some parts are more smooth than other.
This above image is the product shown in Shapeways.
Overall, I am very happy with the product of this design and am excited how it will be made and look like in Shapeways.