The brief and the finished project
For TESCAN we used 3D printing to create a multipart microscope model for teaching and presentations that can be easily taken apart, explored from the inside and reassembled. The aim was to demonstrate the equipment’s functional sections clearly while achieving a modern, clean and visually appealing result.
The model was intended for workshops, teaching, Researchers’ Night at VIDA! Brno and internal demonstrations, making it essential to combine precise 3D printing with intuitive handling and strong connections.
We received the production model in STEP format. After importing it, we analysed its structure, internal layout and geometric relationships. The main task was to prepare the model so that its parts would:
- separate easily,
- fit precisely,
- be sufficiently robust,
- and remain stable through frequent use.
A major benefit of custom 3D printing was the freedom to divide the object into logical modules, from the upper optical components and central section to the large supporting parts. At this stage, we also designed internal magnet pockets so that the blocks would hold together through both a close fit and precise magnetic connections.
This greatly improved handling: taking the model apart opens up its internal structure, while reassembly guides each part straight back into position.
To make the model easy to understand during presentations, it was produced in a multicolour version. Each part was printed in a different colour, making the boundaries of every module immediately clear.
We also adjusted wall thicknesses and designed locating pins and joint tolerances so that the parts would be robust when separated yet easy to handle.
The first prototypes gradually took shape, from small internal components to the microscope’s main body.
Once all the parts were finished, hand assembly began. First, we needed to:
- remove the supports,
- clean all edges,
- insert the magnets,
- and test how the individual modules fitted together.
At this stage, the model started to come to life. The joints and wall clearances worked as intended: the parts gently clicked together and settled into their correct positions.
The complete microscope gradually took shape. Its multicolour design makes the internal structure easy to follow in presentations and teaching. The result can be taken apart down to its smallest components to demonstrate working principles and explain the technology, then reassembled in seconds.
The finished 3D-printed TESCAN model fulfils several roles:
- it is a clear teaching model,
- it serves as a presentation aid,
- its magnetic connections make it easy to handle,
- its colour coding provides quick orientation within the structure,
- and its clean finish makes it well suited to professional presentations.
The project combines precise 3D production, design, technical data preparation and hand finishing into a single functional whole. It also demonstrates how custom 3D printing can make complex technology easier to communicate.
