The Ray Gun Division is always working to develop new designs, materials and capabilities. One idea was to explore the use of 3D printing for some of the more complex bead designs.

These are the Mk.VII Soyuz bead, with rounded and tapered base fins. They are machinable but would likely require some serious machine time due to the rounded and tapered shapes, so we decided to give them a whirl as our first 3D printed project. A few test batches were released via Instagram and they seemed to be accepted with great enthusiasm.

In this case, the beads were printed in a resin/plastic material that is common for 3D printing. The result is a bead that is super lightweight (approx. 2 grams!) and which should be much less abrasive to the gear you tie them to. We know some folks don’t like lanyard beads on their fancy knives, knucks, etc. because when they end up in your pocket together they quickly go to work on one another, damaging finishes, etc.

IG drops of the Mk.VII Soyuz in 3D printed colors were very successful, so you’ll likely see more of this kind of thing as we explore some additional new designs at Desmobot’s Ray Gun Division. Pics below for those who weren’t able to catch the drops on Instagram.