The day before Christmas we feature a print that is both functional and, more important, has a backstory. Travis Corbett, under the name In3Designs, has designed the Universal Bottle Opener.

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1097099

The reason for designing this bottle opener are best explained in Travis’ own words: “My mother was diagnosed with Cushing syndrome over a year ago. Along with many other symptoms muscle deterioration is one of them. She has been treated and is on the road to recovery but she is still very weak. She was telling me that she had to go to her neighbors house so they could open up a bottle for her. She had a bottle opener but not one that would fit a large bottle. I went through a few different designs but now I have a working version. The “Universal Bottle Opener” or “UBO” can open large juice bottles, sports drink bottles, soda bottles, canned drinks, and pop tops!”

This is a fantastic design and we love how 3D printing is being used this way! Keep up the good work, Travis!

For this print we used our all-round nGen filament and printed two bottle openers simultaneously on the Stacker S4 with 2 print heads.

nGen is made from Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer. Like colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT and nGen_FLEX, it is part of Eastman’s Amphora range of copolyesters for 3D printing. Find more about co-polyesters, what they are and what the advantages are by visiting our previous blog. You can find out more about nGen by visiting our dedicated landing page.

nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle — even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste.

The printer used was the Stacker S4. With up to 4 print heads working simultaneously, he Stacker is a perfect printer for large scale projects and small series production. You can find more information by visiting our website: http://stacker.colorfabb.com/