Everything you have to know before making a 3D printed iron man suit

Everything you have to know before making a 3D printed iron man suit

Published May 7th, 2022 06:54

Everyone must know Iron Man of Marvel. This is a character that inspires many people and is also very cool. Rich, smart, elegant, possessing modern technologies for his armor, having the viral word "I love you 3000", Iron Man is the role model that many people want to be. Becoming Iron Man is certainly impossible, but wearing the suit of Iron Man is a good idea and is done by many people. So if you want to make a 3D printed Iron Man suit, you need to learn a few things. Here's what you need to find out.

I. Why should you use 3D printing for the Iron Man suit

When using a 3D printer to create Iron Man suits, the only thing you need to do is uploading your 3D printed iron man suit files. Then the printer does all the rest. This is a very simple way to save you time and effort. But besides that, using a printer also brings a few benefits as follows:

●      Prototyping of new components is very fast.

●      Besides printed models with simple materials, you can also use 3D printers to create metal 3D iron man costumes. This will save you from the need to forge, cast or weld metal like a real Iron Man suit.

●      3D printing like this is also environmentally friendly because it has many components. Products can be made from plastic or other biocompatible materials.

●      3D printers can print with multiple nozzles at the same time. So this technique can help you create many 3D printed iron man suits and still save time.

●      Using a 3D printer, you can print the entire Iron Man suit instead of having to print each part and then assemble them together.

●      Using a 3D printer will help reduce the chance of a defective uniform. Because you can print each part separately and then reassemble it, if one part fails, it won't affect the others. Or if a part of the suit is damaged, you can replace it.

●      3D printers can be easily repaired, maintained, or upgraded. You can replace the parts yourself without any difficulty.

3d printed iron man suit

II. The materials to make a 3D printed Iron Man suit

Currently, 3D printing technologies are developing rapidly. Along with that, the types of materials used for 3D printing have also become more diverse. However, these iron man suits are often made from heavy materials such as plated steel, titanium and ceramic. There are also some other materials such as Molybdenum, Vanadium, Chromium, Nickel and Cobalt.

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These alloys are very resistant to high velocities. However, they are very hard, so they can be used for extrusion in 3D printing without the use of other heating techniques. The joints are surrounded by a material called preheated steel. This steel contains more carbon than standard steel so it is very light but it is still very strong.

There is also titanium, a very hard metal. It is a commonly used metal in application and industry. It has good corrosion resistance. The inside contains about 0.4% V impurities that make it harder than steel. Making 3D printed Iron Man suits with these metals will make you really wear an Iron Man armor.

III. Parts of the Iron Man 3D printed suit

Assembling Iron man's armor requires three important parts: the bodysuit, the helmet, and the boot jet. Below is an explanation of the function of these components in the film and characteristics when 3D printing.

1. Bodysuit

The armor was designed to fit Stark's body. It creates an internal pressure that makes the user more comfortable to wear. Besides, the armor has several vents to cool down when the armor is overloaded or exposed to heat and fire.

Bodysuit is made from the finest metal materials manufactured by Stark Industries. Not only protecting the user, the armor is also equipped with a number of electronic devices. These devices will support storing large amounts of high-capacity data.

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The armor can be activated by a chip, which is equipped on Stark's hand and is called Vibranium. It helps Bodysuit to communicate smoothly with Helmet and Boot Jet for Iron man suit to work easily.

2. Helmet

Iron man's suit helmet is made of ductile titanium metal. It increases rigidity and resists impact damage. Moreover, the helmet also has a nano-fiber mesh to increase durability and filter the air for the user. This part will connect directly with the Bodysuit to form part of the armor.

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The 3D print of the helmet will not be as airy as it is on the film. However, the designer has equipped some details to ensure convenient air circulation in the armor.

3. Boot Jet

The final important component of the armor is the Boot Jet. This is the system that helps Iron Man fly in the gravity of the earth. This engine propels the armor forward using a jet propulsion system. Iron Man can control the direction of the Boot Jet's flight through the device built into his hand.

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3D printing a jet engine is very difficult. The finished product may not be of the quality you originally wanted. Worst case it won't work. Because this jet engine needs advanced technology to generate enough thrust. Therefore, with the 3d printed iron man suit, you do not feel the thrust from this engine.

IV. How does the Iron Man suit work?

3D printers don't just make simple or articulated toys. It can also create high-tech devices. This depends on the detailed design, the materials for 3D printing. Therefore, when 3D printing iron man armor, you not only get a simple model, but also have technologies that are close to the real iron man armor.

To create a suit like the one in the movie, you need fiberglass and some other expensive materials. If using these components, the armor is easily damaged. Therefore, many designers have chosen to add titanium powder to the main material for 3D printing.

When adding titanium powder, the suit will be more durable, anti-rust. The armor will be brighter, more beautiful when used for cosplay. The printed work will have a cooling unit for the user. When exposed to fire or hot parts, the supporting armor prevents heat from entering and reduces internal heat.

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The outer metal lining acts as a cushioning system for sound insulation and flexible movement. In addition, this lining resists impact damage to the user's body and the armor. When creating a 3d printed iron man suit is complete, you can equip an additional infrared system to experience the feeling of a more realistic iron man.

V. What is the difficulty of making 3D printed suits?

You can choose the material to 3D print the iron man suit. Commonly used materials are polymers and metal alloys, especially titanium. These are materials deemed fit for purpose and design of the iron man suit. In addition, they are more durable and beautiful than others. You can try out some new materials to create your own prints. You should refer to famous designer's STL files to build creations. However, you should consider the costs of materials and printing time.

The difficulties in making technology similar to the iron man armor in the movie are quite large. In the movie, the suit is built under specified conditions. The materials are also carefully selected, the efficiency of the new engine is high. When performing 3D printing, it is difficult for users to achieve these conditions. As a result, the engine performance is not high or idle.

Selecting the printing material is difficult, but you can complete an iron man suit with the right design expertise and research into the properties of the materials.

VI. Some 3D printed iron man figure models you can try

3D printing allows people to create many different models. Changing the details in the STL file will create a completely new iron man suit. Here are the four most beautiful and durable iron man suit designs.

1. MK6 suit

The 3D printed model of the MK6 costume was designed by Richard van As at Unlimited Lab. Through selective laser sintering, manufacturers use a laser to heat powdered metal and use it to bond and solidify parts together.

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The designers estimate that the time to print each piece of the outfit will take about 10 hours. But in reality, it takes less than 3 hours to successfully print the entire model. Since the manufacturer was able to print it all in one shot, the final product was of excellent quality.

2. MK7 3D printed Iron Man suit

From Unlimited Lab, Richart van As and Julian Moya continue to design the MK7 skin, a design that evokes the feeling that the MK7 is made of solid metal. The key is that through Selective Laser Sintering technology, manufacturers can monolithically print all parts of the garment. You can assemble and paint custom parts with polyurethane paint.

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The process is somewhat similar to the MK6 kit, but it's pretty awesome. 3D printed samples of the MK7 can be found in Autodesk Fusion 360.

3. MK45 Iron Man 3D printed suit

MK45 is another version of the iron man suit. The designers used Selective Laser Sintering technology to precisely fabricate the parts. The difference between this suit is the shoulder and chest part. Here, people design more details to increase the flexibility of the suit.

3d printed iron man suit

4. Hulkbuster 3d print

This version of the model uses lasers for crafting. Therefore, the accuracy of the details is very high. This model optimally fits the body when worn. In addition, this makes it easier for air to circulate and supports better cooling.

3d printed iron man suit

Above is information about a 3d printed iron man suit. You can refer to creating your own armor based on the characteristics of iron man armor. However, you should consider the cost and printing time. The materials used to make this product are not cheap. Hope you will create a print like your desire.

If 3D printed iron man suilt has not satisfied you, the list of 10 3d print cosplay armors will be the best option for you.