The Amazing NonOilen Project
Empowering the blind with 3D printing
Published on 11 July, written by Laila.
Richvalsky Manufacturing, a group of modern craftsmen, came up with a brilliant idea – to use 3D printing for a real and necessary thing. Mechanical level for the blind can detect the level of liquids when pouring. It’s affordable for everyone, and thanks to modern technologies, you can make one yourself by downloading the 3D model and printing instructions.
A new perspective on 3D printing
Proud owners of a thriving 3D farm who use local resources for their creation brought a completely fresh viewpoint into the 3D printing world. „Our aim is to bring a new perspective on things used in everyday life and give them a different dimension. We look at things around us from many angles and sometimes not only interesting but mainly useful things are created.“ For these clever craftsmen, 3D printing is not only a way of being creative and making beautiful designs, but also a means of making someone’s life easier and more practical. Not only that, they give life to the ideas of young makers and offer services such as custom 3D printing or various workshops!
Help those who need it
With their inventions, this time they thought about those who have low vision or are blind. „When we are with our sightless friends sometimes we talk about things that would help them in their lives.“ Although there are some things in the market that actually make life easier for the blind, many don’t know about them. „In the cooperation with sightless people, we thought of what would help them in their everyday lives and how things that they already use can be improved, simplified and cheaper.“ And that’s when the brilliant idea came to their mind.
An old invention in a brand-new light
For a person with lower vision, basic task as pouring a drink or soup can be quite challenging, so they use a small machine that is put inside a cup and beeps or vibrates when it’s full. A great example of the importance of these aids is Café POTMĚ which is a unique concept of a fully darkened café where you are served by the ones that orient themselves in the darkness by hearing and touch.
„The conventional electronic levels make a loud sound, and people who don’t know it often get scared off.“ The usual levels consist of two parts, a bigger one that is outside the cup and a smaller one that goes inside. „With our mechanical aid, it’s quite the other way. It has a smaller part of the handle that can be hung and a larger part is pushed inside the cup. It is good if the surface is washed from time to time. We made it disassemblable so that the user can wash it, assemble it, and use it again.“
Affordable eco-friendly technology
The market for disabled people has been set up in such a way that the customer is forced to buy a finished product that is often expensive, but as everything’s changing and things are getting more affordable, technology is no exception. „Our main idea is to get the product to those it can help. Thanks to the increasing availability of technology and therefore 3D printing, we are able to take this project almost all over the world.’’ It’s a priceless feeling when you create something of your own than when you buy it from a shop, therefore Richavsky made this option available to everyone. „Many of us have blind or low-sighted friends. You can make this mechanical aid for them by yourself, just download the 3D model file with instructions.’’ Not only is their idea creative and affordable but also eco-friendly, as it’s not shipped halfway around the world, it doesn’t waste resources, and doesn’t pollute the environment.
Sustainable design requires sustainable material
Another interesting feature of this creation is the material that Richavsky used. „NonOilen® is a material that, even when thin-walled, won’t warp or dissolve in boiling water. The prints don’t smell, don’t give off harmful fumes when 3D printing, and are friendly to nature and the environment.’’ Nonoilen is a brand-new filament that is fully biodegradable, easy to print, and resistant to high temperatures so it’s the best possible choice for this design.
Richvalsky Manufacturing have a positive experience with other Filamentum materials and plan to use them in future cases. „So far, we’ve tried PLA, CPE, and PETG filaments, and we really liked TPE and TPU. For our future project, we want to test CPE.’’
Design & Print: Jan Veselský (UTB Zlín) for Richvalsky Manufacturing
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