goodnature
Craig Bond, Robert van Dam, Stu Barr
Craig, Robert and Stu had met at VUW during their Industrial Design studies and discovered they shared an enduring passion for nature and protecting the endemic species at risk. While they each went their own way after graduation, they reunited in 2005 for a research project for DoC and to form goodnature.
Each brings a unique set of interests and strengths to their topic – humane pest control – which explains their success. But even though they each concentrate on their field of expertise, a shared knowledge of the materials, processes and goals forms the base for their success.
Craig for example will create new concepts onscreen which are inspired/informed by the practical experiences Rob and DoC team members have out in the field. And Stu makes sure these developments do not only get applied in the local market, but get promoted overseas.
At goodnature 3D printing is mainly used to quickly develop new technical ideas or custom build solutions for the in-house manufacturing process. For that purpose they have a small printer as part of their office set up, enabling faster assessment of new ideas or improvements.
Their creative and pioneering spirit enables them to expand the applications of 3D printing to their advantage. For example, as the current filament composition does not stand up to the harsh reality of destructive pests and brutal UV, they’ve developed a method to harden the filament material to be able to test the models out in the wild. These tests determine if the initial ideas regarding animal behaviour were correct, if the physiognomy has been correctly interpreted and if the despatch method works reliably and repeatedly.
The ability to modify and adjust immediately after testing does not only guarantee a faster development and production time, it also enables quicker development of new models and expanding the range.