German scuba engineers have used additive manufacturing in creating a high quality, lightweight and reliable scuba light. Known as the Thor Rev 2.0, it relied upon 3D printing bureau Canto Img. GmbH to produce printed parts. Canto is a German 3D printing service company with clients in the aerospace and automotive industries.
In order to produce the scuba diving light Canto used EOS machines as part of the manufacturing process and worked with the polyamide material PA 2200. Canto 3D printed the locking mechanism and the cover for the glass body of the LEDs. With this design and material, Canto were able to create a locking system that allows for the bulb to be changed underwater.
The project used an EOS Formiga 110 machine. This laser sintering machine was used in order to rapidly print strong parts required for use in an underwater environment. The material used was EOS’ PA 2200 material, an impermeable and extremely durable material (as shown above).
Hagen Tschorn, a Managing Director at Canto Ing. GmbH explained the importance of 3D printing technology for the project,
In such extreme environments robustness is very important. The construction of the light must be designed in such a way as to facilitate the exploration of deep lying wrecks or cave systems.
The resulting object is light, yet tough enough to withstand the demands of underwater exploration. The Thor Rev 2.0 weighs only 580g and has a maximum brightness of 70,000 Lux. A German non-commercial cave-diving group known as Cavebase have also praised the device with one diver, Wilke Reints, stating “I’m very happy. It’s really robust and has proved extremely reliable. The locking mechanism is simple to use and gives excellent haptic feedback.”
This news about the use of 3D printing to explore the seas comes after we reported how the Netherlands recently opened a facility for manufacturing maritime parts called the RAMLAB. Also, we’ve recently seen an autonomous squid that intends to utilize the reliability of 3D printed parts to function underwater.
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Featured image shows the Thor Rev 2.0. Image via Dekostop.
