Zortrax Helps the Visually Impaired Embrace the New Reality – a 3D Printed One

Apart from being a powerful company and pros in the 3D printing field, we are being constantly surprised and amazed by the ways our users adjust our 3D printer to match their needs. Pushing the limits of what is available, they show us that thinking outside the box supported by the smart tools can simply make the magical moments happen.

Misled by Appearances

Remember yourself seeing a 3D printer for the first time? Let’s take Zortrax M200 as our example model. A solid, sharp edged cube made of metal, being a desktop powerhouse with the potential of industrial prototyping machine. What connotations does it evoke? Probably lots of, but we bet that most of you didn’t consider it as a highly useful in the context of bringing new experience and extraordinary emotions to the visually impaired people. And yet another tricky question to answer is if 3D printing can be ever perceived as “romantic”? Even if you agree to a certain point, make a close read of this article and let yourself be surprised with the very unusual application of the Zortrax M200.

Faded Memories

Many of us aren’t aware of the limits faced by the visually impaired people on their everyday basis. Unable to get a physical insight to the past, they “live only in the present”. All they can embrace is now as without being able to see the photos and bring out the recollections from the moments of their life and past, their memories are due to fade more easily. It is commonly known, that the people who lost their sight usually experience increase in the intensity of other senses like touch or hearing, that help them to perform activities or experience the surrounding reality more fully.

At Hand Solution

Thanks to the 3D printing technology the year 2016 has definitely more in store for Miki and Domenico, a couple from Como in Italy. That’s mainly because the couple of a visually impaired girl and her boyfriend were given the new and surprising way to experience the reality. It all started with a simple dream, Miki wished she could see the face of her boyfriend when he was a little boy. Easy, as it may sound, becomes a challenge while thinking of people who lost their sight. However, it didn’t appear impossible for Miki’s boyfriend – Domenico who knew the right people to help him prepare the perfect engagement gift for his girlfriend.

The Tangible Image

The help came from the person who may be familiar to some of you, the artist and digital sculptor – Simone Rasetti. The conditions were in fact really favorable as the Simone were coming to Milan to conduct a special course on Z-Brush, organized by Alberto Canali who introduced him to Domenico and asked to design and 3D print the model. As a modeling pro, Rasetti agreed and based on the photo provided by Domenico, started to reconstruct the face of a 5- month old Domenico. After finishing the design, getting the tangible model was just a matter of hours. Rasetti easily exported his design to the Z-SUITE slicing software and prepared the model for the 3D printing process. Then he turned the 3D printer on and after a few hours the design was removed from the platform and ready to give it to Miki.

The Decisive Moment

Having the model in his hands, Domenico didn’t hesitate to give it to his future wife. When the Z-Brush course ended Miki was asked to take the unique gift from his boyfriend. The moment was truly moving, as the girl felt really touched being given the opportunity to touch and feel something, that until this moment, was far beyond her capacity. The participants of the course could obviously share the happiness of the couple and simply observe that, apart from the industrial environment, the 3D printing is a powerful technology that can find its new and surprising applications and help to see the reality from the new perspective.

The Eye-Opening Experience

It wouldn’t be too much to say that this particular case shows that getting accustomed to the new technologies, like 3D printing, brings various gains. The life and industry-changing possibilities of the additive manufacturing technology are constantly appearing and thanks to affordability of machines like Zortrax M200, are now within reach of many. We are more than happy that Zortrax through its users can be a spokesman for the utility of the latest technology. What we really appreciate is being given a chance to participate in the events that bring power and tools to express, apart from the competitive advantages, the pure joy to lives of individuals.