Designed by Adafruit, this 3D printed band for the Apple Watch is made from flexible filament. Guaranteed to help your smartwatch street-cred.

This is a custom 3D printed band for the Apple Watch. With a two-tone hexagonal pattern on the straps, it’s pretty smart and stylish. It’s also a very simple item to make, handily illustrating the benefits of 3D printing with flexible filaments.

The legendary Ruiz Brothers at Adafruit are the originators of this project. For the printing material they’ve chosen Ninjaflex, a TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) filament compatible with most FFF (fused filamant fabrication) desktop 3D printers.

The advanages of Ninjaflex are that — as the name implies — it’s very flexible. It’s also strong and abrasion resistant. All of which means it can be printed flat on the bed of the 3D printer, then once cooled it can be wrapped or stretched around any given shape.

3D modellers like it because it allows them to design an object with a flat geometry from within CAD (computer assisted design) software, and needn’t concern themselves with pesky details like precise curvature.

Check out Adafruit’s ”making of” video for their 3D printed band for the Apple Watch:

3D Printed Band for Apple Watch is a Wearable Marvel

The Ruiz Brothers had a special inspiration for their 3D printed band for the Apple Watch — Batman’s utility belt. The idea is that the wristband can hold several tool bits and an audio adaptor for the iPhone 7 (essential now the smartphone has dispensed with a conventional audio jack).

Aside from the Apple Watch and a 3D printer, the most important things required for the project are Apple Watch connectors. These are specifically made for the Apple Watch and feature quick release mechanisms.

Apple does not sell these connectors, but they are available to purchase from online retailers like Aliexpress for around $3. They’re easy to use, machined from metal, and available in different colors.

Other notes on the project; the brothers didn’t use a dual extruder 3D printer for the two-tone pattern. They achieved the same effect with a single extruder by changing the filament during the print. Using the “pause” feature on a 3D printer will rest the extruder, so you can simply swap out the filament midway through.

What do you think of this design? Tempted to have a play with flexible filaments to accessorize your Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments.

Download: Thingiverse | Pinshape | YouMagine