MotoMinded
MotoMinded bracket
Designed for off-road use only, the Squadron Rally Kit brackets, made of ABS plastic, are extremely lightweight and rugged.
A small motorbike accessory company has used LulzBot 3D printing technology to establish itself in the dirt bike industry.
MotoMinded, based in Colorado Springs, has delivered a range of 3D-printed brackets which can station LED headlights on to motorcycles to the market. Designed for off-road use only, the Squadron Rally Kit brackets, made of ABS plastic, are extremely lightweight and rugged.
Chris Vestal, the company’s founder, was able to manufacture a store-full of products within a matter of days. An idea on Friday turned into a stocked online store selling 3D-printed dirt bike parts by Monday. MotoMinded now boasts a catalogue with dozens of products for various makes and models and has become a creative leader in its industry.
Aware of the cluster of LulzBot 3D printers at Aleph Objects, Vestal was confident he could deliver his product to the market quickly. Able to reliably keep up with the demand and scale of MotoMinded’s manufacturing process, the printers being Open Source Hardware offered additional value when he optimised the printing techniques, settings and environment for Vestal’s production space.
MotoMinded’s in-house cluster of LulzBot printers facilitates the production of parts on-demand, as customers place orders. This results in lower overhead, leaner supply chain, and real savings versus traditional injection moulding and manufacturing techniques.
“I essentially started my company in three days with LulzBot 3D printers,” Vestal said. “They supported my ability to go from a prototype to a finished good, right in my workshop. I save $15,000 for each die that I do not have to make. And I’ve made revisions since the original release of my products. I was able to change my design in 30 minutes and immediately print the new version.”
MotoMinded
MotoMinded bracket
MotoMinded has delivered a range of 3D-printed brackets which can station LED headlights on to motorcycles to the market
The MotoMinded team uses 3D printing for more than just the initial inventory of its products. Its cluster of LulzBot machines allows the team to extend the period of time until increased sales volume justifies having an injection mould made.
“Most of the parts are designed from day one so they could be injection moulded,” Vestal added. “If a product takes off, I’m ready to make a mould.”
3D printing has greatly reduced MotoMinded’s time to market, lowered production costs and allowed the company to become more creative in its design of accessories. MotoMinded say the company has even more ideas that could benefit from this approach, but the motorcycle industry has already taken notice.
Vestal has been asked to speak at international motorcycle shows and invited to attend major consumer electronics industry events. Before the 3D-printed brackets were born, the company’s Pillbox was runner-up for product of the year in Dirt Bike Magazine. But it’s the LulzBot-inspired brackets which have brought a greater amount of optimism to the company, which is now looking to build on its latest innovation and cement its status as a leading provider of motorcycle accessories.
