Smart Lumies is a company from Croatia that creates special luminous cubes to boost children's early stage development. The cubes light up at the child’s soft touch, as the cubes communicate with each other through sensors. Children can then play with the cubes and assemble structures that change color according to different patterns.
The two co-founders, Martina and Filip, needed to create functional prototypes of the cubes as they traveled to showcase them to potential investors. That's why they decided to use the Form 1+ 3D printer to create cases for the cubes.
Smart Lumies creates luminous cubes that change color with a child's touch
Why did you use the Form 1+ for your prototypes?
We chose the Form 1+ for many reasons. We knew it was easy to use and fast to produce high quality prints. The material was also a very important factor: we decided to use the white resin for the cubes, and this material ended up having the perfect light diffusion property that we needed. Also the clear resin was a great choice for creating and prototyping the light guides. Last but not least, the high resolution was an important factor in our choice: the cubes needed to be as smooth as possible to diffuse light correctly, and after experimenting with some FDM 3D printers we realized only stereolithography could help us achieve that level of surface finish.
Form 1+ 3D printer in action printing cubes for Smart Lumies
How was your experience with the Form 1+?
The printer was really easy to setup. One thing we had to learn was how to orient the design on the build platform. We also had to figure out the right combination of wall thickness in order to make the material work in terms of light diffusion. After some testing and three prints, we got it right. We printed 1.8mm holes for the M2 screws and they worked perfectly.
This kind of structure was impossible to achieve on the other 3D printers we had used in the past.
From PreForm to the Form 1+
How has having a desktop 3D printer helped you in the product development process?
3D printing in house is a great thing for us. As we were trying to recreate how we wanted the finished product to look, the light diffusion aspect was the most important part in our prototype. Having a Form 1+ means that we can iterate faster and produce more prototypes. We printed five cubes in just two days: not only can we change the shape of the prototype more quickly, but we can also have a mini factory in the office. Having a desktop 3D printer like the Form 1+ means having a reliable way to reproduce cubes at a steady pace, something crucial in our product development as we test all the communication protocols and interaction.
Filip and Martina, Founders of Smart Lumies
