Patel was able to sidestep the project ever so cleverly with mechanics. In keeping with the project concept, he used one of several 3D printers at his university to do some experimenting as he thought about what to do with his filament. He discovered the 3D printers on hand were able to print the filament but not with the flexibility he would require to build something like the free-form helmet he had in mind. Patel realized what he needed was some type of extruder.
No doubt having an awful lot of fun with the LEGO extruder/hot glue gun tool, he performed a number of experiments with the filament, and different shapes and designs. After producing some quite lovely squiggles in ornamental fashion, he moved on to his finishing piece, which is a helmet, fashioned loosely onto a sculptured head.
While the project was obviously fulfilling for the LEGO enthusiast in numerous ways, what he walked away with was not only some cool designs but also the realization that there is great contemporary accessibility for making new innovations, and especially environmentally friendly ones with as little footprint as possible.
What do you think of Patel’s filament designs? Are you interested in downloading the files to build the LEGO extruder? Share your thoughts with us in the Monomateriality forum over at 3DPB.com.