If you haven't seen the "Crab World" ad from the UK real estate website Zoopla, even if you don't plan to buy a UK property, we recommend that you check it out. There are some very cute hermit crabs living in some 3D printed shells.
Because of its creativity and humor, Zoopla's ads have attracted the attention of many people thanks to 3D printing technology .
To make this advertisement, Zoopla contacted Artem, a British special effects company that used Stratasys multi-material, multi-color 3D printing technology to make shell houses.
A lot of research and working hours are spent on making 3D printed shells. As Artem's creative director and designer Simon Taylor explains, 3D printed shells must be real enough to make real crabs live inside. In addition, he also needs to consider the safety of crabs in the shell.
To achieve Zoolla's visual effects while keeping the hermit crabs comfortable, Taylor and his team scanned the actual hermit crab shells at Costa Rica's location based on a 3D printed house. This allows them to accurately understand the internal structure of the shell.
Taylor explained: "We hope that we can do everything we can to ensure that these shells will not be rejected by the hermit crabs, nor will they harm them. Through Stratasys' multi-color, multi-material 3D printing, we can build every natural inside and outside the shell. Curves, bumps and corners."
　　
By using Stratasys' Connex3 3D printer , Taylor and his team eventually created 20 shell houses for the hermit crabs, each designed to mimic the popular British architectural style. Impressively, it took only a month from design to production.
Upon completion, the 3D printed hermit crab shell was taken to the beaches of Costa Rica where it was filmed.
(Compiled from 3ders.org)
Anping County Shengxin Metal Products Co., Ltd , https://www.shengxin-fence.com