I had always toyed with the idea of making a knife but never really had access to the tools or materials. Needless to say this was long before any thought of having direct access to a metal 3D printer.
Justin Wienand
3D Printed Knife – Justin Wienand Entry #1
This is Justin 1st knife submission.
Surprisingly enough I had actually started the design process for this knife back in 2017 in a attempt to learn how to use our design tools more efficiently. At this stage it was more a side project to keep busy than anything else.
During the design stage, I knew I wanted to have a small, ergonomic, robust knife that I could use as a daily box cutter that would also hold its own as a biltong knife.
Here are some images I had used for inspiration.
Thinking back, at one stage I had requested a quote from a local knife maker. This was insanely expensive, so I ended up shelving the project for a couple years.
Occasionally I would come across the files again, make a couple tweaks here and there and, then print it out in ABS or PLA on an FDM printer, but for the most part didn’t spend much time on it.
All that changed of course when we took delivery of our EOS M290 metal 3D printer.
During the initial days of set up and training I was chomping at the bit to print the blade. Unfortunately this didn’t happen for another year or so, when one day Dave had brought up the idea for a little internal design challenge.
Before there could be any second thoughts or hesitation I had supported and included my Blade in with the next Tool Steel build. Needless to say the first print attempt was a dismal failure, but it taught me a lot about part orientation, thermal loads and support structures.
This is the successful Metal 3D printed knife blade build
Once I had printed it and mounted the scales, I realised that I needed a way to carry it around without cutting my fingers off every time I put my hands in my pockets. This started me down the sheath/holster road.
Access was essential so I had designed the holder to be belt mounted and had added a slot for clearance along the edge of the blade .
I have had mine on me pretty much every day since its been finished and probably will do for many years to come.
It’s always a nice ice breaker when people ask, “What do you do?”, at a first encounter.
Knife Material: 3D Printed Maraging Steel run on and EOS M290.
Handle: SLS 3D printed PA-12.
Post processing on a DyeMansion Powershot S using PolyShot Surfacing (mechanical) and dyed using DyeMansion DeepDye Coloring on a DyeMansion DM60.
About
About a year ago we decided it would be fun to run a small internal competition to design knives with the aim to use Additive Manufacturing as much as possible. This was inspired at least in part by Davids nephew having a fascination with forging and knife making which led to much YouTube research.
None of the Akhani 3D team had ever made any sort of knife ever. So everyone started off with their own ideas. Some were faster than others in terms of execution and printing but we have now entered into a second round and, have included the new members of the team into our little competition.
