SquareBounce 3D Prints Lighting Reflectors Using Markforged Technology

Toronto-based company Nori Equipment designs and manufactures SquareBounce, a lighting reflector designed for professional use in the film and photography industry. Nori Equipment founder Kevin C. W. Wong created SquareBounce with the needs of industry professionals in mind. He designed collapsible reflectors that are durable and lightweight, doubling as protection from the elements in outdoor environments.

“One of the major challenges of manufacturing mechanical components for the lighting reflector is that the parts need to be durable, accurate, and lightweight to keep up with the demands of professional photography and filmmaking environments,” said SquareBounce inventor Kevin Wong. Traditional manufacturing methods include mold making, casting, and machining, with the whole process averaging 10 days to produce a set of components. Due to the constraints of traditional manufacturing methods, such as long lead times, large minimum order quantities and the expenses associated with those methods, Nori Equipment began researching alternatives and came across Markforged.

“Until Markforged introduced a new way of printing reinforced fibre parts, we were only able to use 3D printing for prototyping and partially for creating molds,” Wong recalled, referencing his past experience with 3D printing technology. “Onyx with reinforced fibre allows us to create strong, beautiful, color-accurate, mechanically precise end-use parts directly from the print beds.” Nori Equipment invested in two Markforged Onyx Pro printers and have since re-engineered their product to better meet their customers’ needs.