Nautilus Trophy

myminifactory

Hopefully this isn't all for naut. ;) This is my entry for the 2020 Protolabs competition to design a trophy for the 3D Printing Industry Awards. I decided to do a nautilus shell because of its geometric perfection. The shell shape follows a Fibonacci spiral (the golden spiral). And, as we are always striving for perfection in industry and daily life, this shape fit the bill perfectly. The base resembles coral as well as a lattice structure, and all nautilus shells (including this one) have internal cavities built in. I saw this competition 4 days before the deadline, so between high-school, life, and lack of days I only had time to take a couple screenshots. The shell should be printed in translucent resin with an SLA printer, and the base with solid material on an MJF or SLS printer. The shell may need either supports or a raft to give it enough surface area for printing. Good luck to all the competitors, and many thanks to Protolabs for hosting this competition!