The carbon fibre and 3D printed framework to support our 3D MOVE (Mobile Visualisation Environment) screens was tested this week to see how easy it was to assemble by two people.

The frame is about 8Kg when assembled, thanks to the adoption of composite carbon fibre tubes and 3D printed brackets. It encompasses a volume of 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.1 meters, which is the same as our existing CAVE in the Visualisation and Immersive Technologies Centre (VIT-C).

The time-lapse video below shows Dr Maxwell Parfitt and Andy Sears (EPSRC Summer Research Placement Student) assembling the 3D MOVE frame for the first time in under 6 minutes.

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To rapidly realise the low cost lightweight framework to support our 3D MOVE (Mobile Visualisation Environment) screens, 3D printing has been used to print custom durable parts to join different thickness’s of Composite Carbon Fibre tube.

The time-lapse video below shows a 27 hour 3D print run which produced the rear right bracket, printed upside down at the rear of the printer, the rear tube interconnect, printed vertically at the front of the printer and some miscellaneous parts used for calibration.

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Using 3D printing technology has allowed for quick design modifications at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional subtractive manufacture processes, whilst maintaining the parts strength and quality.