Reaping the Benefits with Zortrax M200

Hopefully, you’ve already noticed that here at Zortrax we’re strong supporters of innovative and ambitious solutions. We put our best efforts into changing the status quo and replacing the old ways with the new better ones that prove to be easier, faster and more beneficial. We’re all for easily achievable efficiency, that’s why we develop and deliver tools that will help you reshape your business. We’re more than happy when another innovative project incorporates 3D printing to help optimize the costs and time of product development, right from the start or, should we say, start-up. Take a look.

The Smart Garden

Turning an ordinary garden into a smart one is the main idea behind the viRaCube solutions, the start-up company from Austria. As its founders describe it: ‘viRaCube is the first automatic garden watering system that finds the optimal water volume when watering your garden’. What does it mean? Well, imagine, or simply try to remember, the state of your garden when returning home from a lengthy vacation, especially if you live in a bit of a dry climate. If Sahara Desert image sprang to your mind, you’re not that far off the mark. Less sand, more dry plants and that’s probably the actual state of your garden. The system prevents that from happening while you’re resting. Nifty, don’t you think?

viRaCube weather device

Controlled Environment

The viRacube actually consists of four parts. The cube is the brain of the whole system, the valve controls the optimal water flow, the sensor measures soil moisture, temperature, humidity and brightness. Then there’s also a special mobile app that allows full control of the system, anywhere, anytime. All in all, viRaCube seems to be quite handy and user-friendly. Due to being powered by solar energy, it’s also sustainable. What interested us the most, however, was the design. We got into touch with Silvio Pauli, the designer behind the high-tech and elegant look of the viRaCube hardware, and asked him for some details on the designing stage of the project.

Modern Nature

If you’re one of those who find modern design highly appealing and like to surround themselves with it, the viRaCube’s appearance is right up your alley. Why? Well, Silvio made sure that the simplicity of the design is far away from boring. The hardware was designed in minimalistic style. The shapes are unique, the lines are bold and the main color scheme of black and white gives the extra modern touch. It seems like viRaCube might really enhance the beauty of your garden, both with its functionality and design.

3D printed sensor

Test and Grow

Simplicity in design doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of effort to be put into the final result. There’s a long way from the first draft to the end-use product. But we can proudly say that we have some solutions to the issue. As Silvio found out for himself, Zortrax Ecosystem makes the process much easier to complete due to user-friendliness based on default settings for each and every material from our range. As a designer, Silvio needed to focus on the project first and foremost, that’s why he chose Zortrax M200. The 3D printer combined with Z-SUITE software and Z-ABS material made prototyping and developing the project truly rapid and effortless.

3D printed valve

Basic Doesn’t Mean Simple

That’s what we’ve been saying about Z-ABS and Silvio’s project is another proof of that. Although we’ve been recommending Z-ABS especially for beginners, as it’s durable and easy to work with, the material is also quite favored by more experienced users. From our range of 3D printing materials, Silvio decided on Z-ABS since it’s also easy in post-processing. Some parts of the hardware required sanding, then they were coated with primer. The final look was completed with acrylic finisher. Piece of cake, really. Plus, the prototyping stage was also faster due to high 3D printing quality. The black parts looked aesthetic enough right after 3D printing that Silvio was able to save some time and energy on post-processing.

3D Printers Do It Better

Whether you’re just starting your business or already been in the market for quite some time, there’s something to say about applying 3D printing to your industry. Mainly, it guarantees that the prototyping stage will be faster, less expensive and, with the right tools, also easier. Adjust, test, redesign. There’s nothing stopping you from achieving the perfect end-use product and doing it efficiently. You don’t have to take our word for it, simply try for yourself.