3D Printed Voronoi Cuff

In this instructable I will be showing you how to use Fusion 360 to design and print you very own Voronoi cuff, then heat form it and mold it into a wearable product! Most people should be able to get roughly 30 of printing time on a 3D printer somewhere locally, so for a few cents of plastic and a few more of paint, you can get an awesome organic looking cuff to wear around or give as a gift!

Tools and Materials:
• 3D Printer
• Spray Paint
• Blow Dryer

In this step I will be explaining how you can apply a custom geometric pattern using a Voronoi Addin for Fusion 360. I first had to decide the parameters of the Voronoi generator, and since I wanted a rough bracelet shape, 7.5 x 17 cm square with 80 rounded shapes. I then wanted to make a slightly bowed shape, so I had started adjusting every single shape in order to make sure it was the right size and that it fit into a visually appealing pattern. Once I reached the desired shape, I used the curved line tool in Fusion 360 to make an ovular outline which conformed to the Voronoi pattern. I then extruded out the sketch to 1.5 mm, and sent it to my printer to print.

Once it printed, it was in a flat sheet, so I had to mold it to the contour of my wrist. To do so I draped a shirt over my arm, and took a blow dryer and slowly heated up the print. It only took about 10 seconds to get the print sufficiently moldable, so be careful during this step. Once ready, I took the melted plastic sheet and draped it over my wrist, making sure to lightly pinch the ends together so that it conformed completely around my wrist. I allowed to to cool enough that it was firm, then popped it off of my wrist. The PLA makes a wonderful material because it is super lightweight and it has enough bend to fit on multiple different sized wrists. Worst case you can always heat it up and remold it to fit the shape of whoever is going to wear it.

After it was formed, I wanted to paint the cuff so that it looked better than a simple 3D print. I tried black, Aged Copper, and a Shimmering Gunmetal color. I think that the Aged Copper turned out the best, but I really do like all of them, and they are much more elegant that a simple 3D print. There are nearly infinite ways you can do paint this to make it unique, so it is incredibly easy to customize!

Overall I really couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out, and anyone with access to a 3D printer could do this. By now, nearly every school and library has a 3D printer, and every single maker space has one, so it really shouldn’t be too difficult to find a 3D printer. My print ended up only taking around 20-30 minutes, and I’m sure you could find a place to print such a short print for little to no cost. I love how heat forming and painting the print elevated the cuff to a beautiful final product, and I hope to use these techniques on more pieces in the future! Thank you!

Brandon (17)