Make It Real 3D Printing Challenge

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Bath Spa graduate wins global $25,000 3D printing competition

Bath Spa graduate Heath Townsend has won a global Make It Real 3D Printing Challenge, receiving $25,000 worth of investment to turn his idea for a motorbike bracket into a physical real world product.

The Printing Challenge invited designers, engineers, and makers from around the world to submit ideas that take advantage of a new rugged 3D printing material called COR Alpha.

Heath studied BA (Hons) 3D Design: Idea Material Object – now BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design – at Bath Spa University, which is where he discovered his passion for problem solving. His winning motorbike bracket has been designed to clip around motorbike forks to secure indicator lights in place, making the most of COR Alpha’s unique properties.

Beating all other entrants, not only has the win secured Heath the support of $25,000 worth of additive manufacturing services from the material science company PolySpectra, it has also led to him being approached by none other than NASA astronaut Dr Yvonne Cagle who reached out to him during his unique journey.

Talking about his achievements, Heath, who is founder of 3D motorbike parts printing company Evol Components, said: “Winning was honestly such an honour, all the finalists had incredible applications and have my full respect. I’ve been waiting a long time for a material like PolySpectra’s COR Alpha, the entire process has felt so natural. It’s such an exciting time, I have so many parts and products in the works!

Reflecting on his time at Bath Spa University, Heath said: “I met some amazing people there and I owe them all so much. Studying 3D Design at Bath Spa was the perfect environment and course for me, it allowed me to explore exactly what fascinated me within design. It’s funny to see how past projects and ideas influence projects I’m working on now. It really allowed me to develop from a purely engineering mindset and pursue organic design, the course was the ultimate injection of creativity.”

Heath’s advice for budding designers and makers is, “Learn more. It’s something I’m still doing myself, I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Learn as much as you can, think of processes and techniques as weapons in your arsenal that you need to keep adding to. Then focus and specialise in what you’re drawn towards, only you will know what that is but that’s what developing your own craft is all about.”

The product will be launched later this year.