The legendary Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years. This year, CES hosted over 3,600 companies across 2.4 million square feet in Las Vegas.

Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

Many of the custom accessories on the Ladybird were prototyped and tested with 3D printed parts from Stratasys.

Upon entering the Stratasys booth, visitors were immersed in a world where top-tier consumer electronics companies delivered their products to market faster and at a lower cost using 3D printing. One display that was a real stand-out was the Ladybird motorcycle from KlockWerks. This custom Triumph Thunderbird was equipped with several durable FDM 3D printed parts to test for form, fit and function. The saddle bags were 3D printed and mounted on the bike as functional prototypes. The windshield was 3D printed and used for testing wind effects before final production. The bike also featured custom rings around the speakers and a phone mount prototype that connects to the handle bars, all 3D printed to test design iterations and fit before final production.

“If it wasn’t for Stratasys and their 3D printing technology, this Ladybird motorcycle would not be a reality,” said Brian Klock, president of Klock Werks. “3D printing gives companies like us the ability to work with large motorcycle OEMs and create customer parts and electronics that we would not have been able to do any other way.”

Olloclip, a Stratasys customer and manufacturer of camera lenses for mobile devices, uses PolyJet 3D printing technology to create functional prototypes for testing new products. Their latest device, a kit called Studio, combines an all-new protective iPhone case with an integrated mounting solution and a series of mobile photography accessories. Attendees also got a glimpse of olloclip’s 4-in-1 Lens which incorporates fisheye, wide-angle and macro level camera lenses.

Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

The VIE SHAIR headphones are the world’s first “open air” headphones, which used both MakerBot and Stratasys 3D printing technologies for prototyping and functional testing.

Stratasys was also excited to share the newly announced VIE SHAIR headphones, the world’s first full “open air” smart headphones. Due to complex design geometries and a small window for development, the creators of the VIE SHAIR used both MakerBot and Stratasys 3D Printers for real-time rapid prototyping. After the form and fit check using 3D printed prototypes, the designer made 30 sets of production parts based on 3D printed molds using the same digital design data without issue.

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