Anyone who has a minimum knowledge of the 3d-printing world has seen this small little boat at least once. This tiny object has in fact become a real symbol in the 3D printing world, renowned among professionals and amateurs.
Benchy, the boat, is named after its own purpose. It was in fact originally created as a “benchmark” to be used as a parameter to compare the performances and results of 3D printers.
Since Benchy’s stl file was made publicly available in 2015 by its creators, the tiny boat has been printed thousands and thousands of times. The creators estimated over 2 million downloads on the thingiverse.com website only.
Despite its popularity, Benchy’s story may not be known to all.
So here we are. Benchy’s story starts back in 2014, when Creative Tools, a Swedish service and reseller of 3D printers and software, decided to simplify its materials and printers testing activities by creating a single, multifunctional tester for the comparison of various devices and materials.
#3DBenchy is designed by Creative Tools #3DBenchy is licensed under a Creative Commons License
In 2015 the Creative Tools team started designing the model, with the goal of including as many elements as possible within it: shapes, sizes, and features that could best reveal the potential of the various printers and challenge their capabilities.
The goal was in fact to create a detailed, easy to recognize and to print benchmark.
This is how #3DBenchy was born. An extremely useful tool for the Swedish retailer and its customers. By printing the same stl file, with the same printer, material, and software, and comparing the results, it became possible to easily identify the problems that compromised the quality of prints.
A tool that could enable easy troubleshooting and prompt customer support.
On April 9th, 2015, the file was made public, becoming a useful benchmark for 3D printer manufacturers, software manufacturers, and more generally for the entire 3D printer user community.
Creative Tools has created a website specifically dedicated to #3DBenchy, where you can find all the information on the boat’s features and the things you need to know for the troubleshooting of your prints.
Identifying the issues in your 3D printed objects may not be easy and this could affect lead times. Moreover, in most cases, the presence of irregularities and deformities cannot be solved through post-processing treatments. This is why having an effective benchmark available can prove extremely useful.
In our next article we’ll delve into the matter and with Benchy’s help we’ll show you what your print should look like to avoid compromising automatic post-processing treatments.