MantaRay - My 3D print is alive!

While scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled across a reel of a kinetic art piece called “Stingray” by Apical Reform. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted one. But after doing some research, I quickly realized it was expensive, massive (almost two meters long), and primarily available overseas. That’s when I decided to recreate it only smaller, so its mesmerizing movement could be enjoyed right from my desktop.

The challenge? All I had to go on was how it looked from the outside there were no images, videos, or documentation on how the mechanism actually worked. I had a rough idea of how it might function based on the visuals, and from there I started designing, prototyping, and testing. Things get a lot trickier when you shrink them down, work with the limitations of the design tool and printers and try to 3D print every part. I learned that the hard way. After three completely different mechanism re-designs, six months of trial and error, and over 5kg of filament burned through, I finally got it working.

Through this process, I learned a lot not just about mechanical design and moving parts, but also about 3D modeling, 3D printing, and why you should always double check a design before committing to a six hour print.

I’m sharing the full journey of this build (and other projects) over on Instagram: @rndr.mech.

If you want one for yourself, feel free to DM me.