Filaflex 70A in one of the components of EYEDAK's new 'vrAse 2' VR device

The ideal material to manufacture the new flexible, soft, breathable and skin-safe pad for 'vrAse 2'

PROJECT | vrAse 2

Company: EYEDAK

Material: Filaflex 70A Recreus

Mision: Manufacture a 3D printed pad for the new improved prototype of the vrAse 2 VR glasess for smartphones.

EYEDAK 'vrAse 2' device.

"We had to improve the contact pad. The previous pad was composed of four different materials (filling, fabric, velcro and stitching), and what we have done is replace it with a pad that is completely 3D printed with the filament we tested, TPU Filaflex 70A. In this way we have managed to turn this component into a single piece printed with the same material to save money. In addition, by manufacturing this piece with Filaflex 70A, we also achieve: ease of customizing the color, improving cleanliness, favoring breathability to minimize fogging on the lens and providing autonomy to the customer so that they can manufacture it by printing it on their own.”

Miguel Schiaffino, CEO of EYEDAK

vrAse

vrAse 1 are the first virtual reality glasses for smartphones created by the Canarian company EYEDAK. These are glasses to turn almost any mobile phone up to 7 inches into a virtual reality viewer. A project that dates back to 2013 and whose product was finally launched in 2018.

In this first version of the vrAse 1, the pad that makes contact with the skin is composed of four different materials: filling, Velcro, fabric and stitching.

'vrAse 1' where we can see the type of cushion that is integrated to attach to the face, composed of 4 different materials.

After the launch of the first version of the vrAse in 2018, the company EYEDAK set itself the challenge of continuing to advance and improve the product, creating a second version of the device whose design is open source and can also be manufactured in 3D printing. Thus, in March 2023, the new version is launched: the vrAse 2.

“3D printing has benefits at the customer, company and product level. The customer can customize the product and print a part in case of breakage. Our company avoids the use of molds and we speed up delivery to the customer through a "hybrid" concept (half digital and half physical). The product can incorporate geometries that are impossible to achieve with molds.”

Miguel Schiaffino, CEO of EYEDAK

vrAse 2

In this new version of the device, vrAse 2, the focus has been on improving several points:

  • lightness
  • possibility of replacing the lenses
  • open source design so that the customer can download the design of the vrAse 2 from GitHub and print the parts on their own

But, in addition to this series of improvements, it has also been decided to change another important aspect of the same as it is:

  • the contact pad

vrAse 2 showing the new cushion model.

Contact pad

“The choice of materials is of utmost importance, but in the case of the pad for the vrAse 2 eyewear, we kept in mind that the product was intended to be materialized by customers, so ease of printing, economy and low VOC emissions were important variables in the choice. And specifically for the cushion, we needed a quality, flexible TPU filament that was safe for skin contact.”

Miguel Schiaffino, CEO of EYEDAK

Advantages of the new pad

The idea of choosing a flexible filament as the material to manufacture the cushion of the vrAse 2 device is motivated by the following advantages:

  • Improve breathability. With this system designed for the part, it is possible to minimize the creation of mist on the lenses and improve the quality of visualization.
  • Use of a single material to create the cushion part. This saves on the final product, investment and manufacturing costs.
  • Autonomy. Given that the vrAse 2 is an open source product concept, this part provides autonomy so that it can be printed or manufactured by the customer on his own.
  • Ease of cleaning. Both by the nature of the material and the design, it is much easier to clean this piece after use.
  • Customize the color of the pad. The customer can select the color he wants and is available to print his own pad.

Material requirements

The material chosen by EYEDAK for the manufacture of the pad is Filaflex 70A TPU filament. Filaflex 70A. After several tests, this filament has proved to be ideal in several respects and meets the company's requirements for manufacturing the pads for its vrAse 2 model.

Filaflex 70A is the ideal filament because it meets the following requirements that EYEDAK was looking for in the cushion material for its new device version:

  • Quality flexible filament for a part that will not break and will withstand prolonged use
  • High Shore hardness for printing a part with  maximum flexibility
  • Material safe for skin contact

Fulfilling all these requirements and configuring a design according to the needs and requirements of the part, they designed the new pad to be printed with Filaflex 70A TPU filament.

As a result, we obtain a cushion that is perfectly integrated into the device and that fits the face, being comfortable and light.

vrAse 2 device 3d printed and including the new cushion also printed with our Filaflex 70A TPU material.

Learn about the filament used in this success story

Filaflex 70A

Filaflex 70A

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7 Review(s) 
TPU Filament Filaflex 70A, 'Ultra-Soft', is a highly elastic and advanced filament from the Filaflex range for 3D printers. Shore hardness 70A 900% stretch Very high elasticity Odourless No hotbed required Made in the EU
Black White Transparent Nude Red Navy blue
$54.90
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