Making is the final frontier. These are the projects of Adafruit Industries. Its latest masterpiece; a 3D printed Star Trek Communicator.

First it was corded phones that went the way of the dinosaur, then it was landlines. After smartphones, what comes next?

How about a 3D Printed Star Trek communicator? That sounds logical.

This is a fully functional cosplay prop designed by Adafruit Industries, courtesy of the Ruiz Brothers, who have several other creations on the site (including a gorgeous Halo energy sword and a physical “like” button).

The Star Trek Communicator looks awesome and features a new Adafruit development board, the FONA feather. It can be hooked up with a SIM card to actually make calls, and sports a 2500 mAh battery that can be recharged over USB.

While the creation will take several hours to print and assemble, all the details (and code) are laid out in this handy 38-page instruction manual.

Star Trek Communicator: Three Steps to Prosper

There are three steps to creating the communicator: 3D printing, coding, and assembling (including wiring the circuits).

The prints takes several hours, and there are 12 pieces in total. Some pieces are made to snap fit together, while others require extra filament or tape. The print does require supports, and even has to be paused in order to switch filament colors during print. It might not be a painless process, but the results are clearly worth it.

Parts were designed in Autodesk Fusion 360 and sliced on Simplify3D. Makers who have Simpliy3D can save some time by downloading the relevant profiles, listed alongside the instructions. The design is free to download in different formats, and can be remixed for usage in other CAD softwares.

Once printed, the next step is coding the communicator to make it functional. Don’t worry, the brothers have supplied a code that can simply be copied and pasted into Arduino IDE. Insert a SIM card into the FONA, and you’re ready to receive transmission, boldly going where no fan has gone before.

Full Details: 3D Printed Star Trek Communicator