Photo Ready: 3D Printed Models


IoT security startup elarm was conceived between old Naval engineering buddies, Danny Pickford and Adam Rea, who were excited about a newly available security technology that was becoming accessible to individual consumers. Together, they set out to build an intelligent and affordable monitoring system. Pickford and Rea aimed to break the tradition of old school security systems—no professional installation, no subscriptions required and full coverage where cameras were an option, not a necessity. Convinced they could solve the hard problems, the duo knocked out a prototype in a couple of months. They then needed top-quality models and promotional images of several physical components in order to close on their seed investments and market the product.
elarm quickly discovered that the unfinished 3D printed parts were not ideal for a photoshoot (great for fast iteration cycles, but too raw for high-quality photography). elarm looked to Fathom’s model finishing capabilities to provide a more polished set of samples. Experts at the Fathom Seattle production center hand-sanded, filled and painted the 3D printed parts, transforming each into models that look like production, injection-molded parts—all for a fraction of the time and cost needed to build production tooling.
elarm’s Marketing Director Stacia Beer was tasked with creating the product photographs suitable for potential investors and customers—lucky for others, she chronicled some useful lessons from her experience in a post on elarm’s blog. Be sure to check out the great write-up.