3D Printing – STEVEN VAN DE STAAK – VIDEO 3D PHOTOGRAPHY COPY

SAP Vision video – VR Hand prop production

8th May 2026 by Steven

For a company vision video of SAP Software solutions, we’ve created a hand module showing the tracking of hand movements in a physical space. The director (Arjen Schotel) wanted to have a futuristic looking hand part that could fit multiple stiff tubes.

The biggest challenge around this part was a custom fitting for the actor. As we weren’t able to do a custom 3D-scan, it had to fit perfectly on the spot. For this reason we used plain PLA to print the part. The big benefit of this material is that it starts to get soft around 60 degrees °C. The part was printed flat, heated and shaped around the hand of the user for a custom fit. Initially I used my own hand as a reference. On the set, the part was still adjustable with the use of a simple hairdrier or some warm water. However, the initial fit was perfect for the job.

See full video (Arjen Schotel website)

InMotion: Turning a LeMans LMP3 car electric

18th April 20261st April 2026 by Steven

Le Mans is one of the most demanding road races in the World. InMotion, a student team from the Eindhoven University of Technology, is working on the Revolution. An electric LMP3 race car. Key for the team is cell-level cooling technology. By optimizing this technology they are able to charge the massive high performance battery to 80% in only 4 minutes. On track, the same battery feeds the car with enough power to drive over 300km/h.

How InMotion’s technology helps sustainability

The huge challenge for electric vehicles is the charging time. InMotion is working on a new “refueling” technology that charges the batteries in minutes instead of hours. The extreme conditions of racing 24 hours at racing speed is the ultimate proving grounds for this technology. Showing that their innovations deliver performance and success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is making a huge statement to car manufacturers. This could lead to new generations of roadcars, that accelerate electric adoption.

How 3D printing helps InMotion

Turning the LMP3 car electric involves a lot of innovation. The team is developing the full powertrain from scratch. This means many custom parts are needed. Since we’re talking race cars here, these parts have strict requirements and need optimal designs. Typically, they need to be strong, heat resistant, light-weight and fit in tight spaces.

3D printing helps InMotion by enabling them to prototype parts in matter of hours. While outsourcing was expensive, and can take days, printing parts internally costs only a fraction. And testing parts in hours means optimizing and re-testing a design sometimes even the same day. When a part needs 2 or 3 itterations, this means finishing the optimal design in 2 days instead of 4 weeks.

For design validation, they can quickly print the parts in PLA. However, the team can print in materials such as PETG and even carbon reinforced PETG. That means they can actually produce end-use parts as they often meet all the strict requirements set by their engineers. There are currently many 3D printed parts in use both in and around their LMP3 car. And the number is still increasing.

Read the full story on UltiMaker.com

Author:
Steven van de Staak

3D PRINTING FIXTURES AT AUDI SPORT

Ultimaker PVA Removal Station Commercial

IMES3D: Expert Support for Industry-Level 3D Printing

Ultimaker 2+ Connect promo

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Trivium: Replacing metal parts using 3D printing

1st April 202613th March 2026 by Steven

At Trivium, 3D printing has become a standard if it comes to finding solutions for replacement parts. They save time, money, and are able to design parts that work better than the original. We created a video to showcase

Why the The Anode Worm is a great example

The key part in this story is an anode worm. Trivium had a clear set of requirements which Nylon CF actually met. Not only were they able to reproduce the part. They also saw the performance of the 3D printed part was even better. So instead of outsourcing and ordering expensive parts, they could now simply print the optimized design – on demand.

Telling a personal story

We filmed this video as a personal story of the two colleagues from Trivum. On the one part, they share facts, a situation, a solution and the result. But we believe the human part is just as important. Even when the content is B2B. This is why it was great to showcase their enthusiasm and the energy they got from 3D printing and this project in particular.

In the end, the video was published on UltiMaker’s Youtube, with small social media posts for promotion, and a written article with more information on their website.

Read the story on UltiMaker.com

Author:
Steven van de Staak

Ultimaker PVA Removal Station Commercial

IMES3D: Expert Support for Industry-Level 3D Printing

3D PRINTING FIXTURES AT AUDI SPORT

Blackmagic Pyxis autumn test – Meike Cine Fullframe 35mm

Ultimaker – Application presentations

DJI Mic 2 1/4″ to magnetic mount

10th February 20265th February 2026 by Steven

DJI’s Mic 2 is an incredible kit for video production. The tiny wireless microphone can record clean 32-bit float audio stand-alone, or send audio directly to a camera or phone. It’s designed to be worn on clothing. It’s so good that it can even be used as a traditional microphone—though you’ll need to mount it on a tripod or arm.

Custom 3D printed mount

While mounts are available, I wanted to design a part specifically for testing. Most existing designs use a clip to snap the microphone into place, which feels like a missed opportunity—especially since the microphone already comes with a magnet. That’s why I designed a custom part.

The block I designed in roughly 15 minutes includes a cavity for the microphone’s magnet, allowing it to snap neatly into place. To connect the block to the standard 1/4″ thread used on tripods or magic arms, I used a brass insert. After printing the block, you simply place the insert over a slightly undersized hole and gently press it in using a hot soldering iron. The heated brass insert melts its way into position. Once everything cools down, the result is a solid, permanently bonded part.

Final design and benefits

The final mount costs less than €0.50 to produce and prints in roughly half an hour. More importantly, it allows me to place mounts exactly where I want to use the DJI Mic 2 on a regular, temporary basis. In my studio, I can hang two slightly above my desk for a podcast setup. They can also be mounted on tabletop tripods for on-the-move podcasting.

In the end, this part saved me a full day of delivery time and roughly €40. On top of that, it’s actually more practical than the commercially available options.

Download the design for free

Got a 3D printer and a need for this part? Download the STL file for free and let me know how it turned out.

Download design

Author:
Steven van de Staak

Ultimaker – PETG material commercial

Carhartt SHOWROOM PRESENTATION

DJI Mic 2 1/4″ to magnetic mount

Ultimaker PVA Removal Station Commercial

InMotion: Turning a LeMans LMP3 car electric

Amaran Ace 25C DIY lens hood

29th January 202620th November 2025 by Steven

The Amaran Ace 25C is a fantastic and versatile LED light. It’s small, battery-powered, bright and you can change its colours. I use several of these lights and they’re always part of my gear when I do a videoshoot.

The included mattebox works well, but is very small. This makes the light usually quite harsh and direct. That’s why I created a custom light hood.

The Amaran Ace has 4 magnets in the light itself. This is useful for attaching my lightbox. I’ve used 4 steel screws to make them attachable.

On the front, I’ve created 4 holes where small magnets are placed. Using those magnets, a custom designed filter ring with a filter can be installed and removed. The filters use small steel nails to be attached. This way I can create multiple filters and change quickly.

Want to download and print the design yourself?

Download printable files