Printly Clever is a library of storage and organiser parts for Skoda cars, new and old, that anyone can download and print.
Skoda has released Printly Clever, a set of car accessories for owners to print on their own 3D printers. The files are on Printables.com, cost nothing, and leave the owner paying only for printer running costs. Skoda says no other carmaker has done this.
Skoda has put a library of car accessories online that owners can print on their own 3D printers, and the files cost nothing. The brand says no other carmaker has offered a range of this kind. It calls the collection Printly Clever and has published it on the Printables.com platform.
The idea is simple. A customer picks the item that suits their car, then prints it in whichever colour they like, so an upgrade arrives with almost no waiting. Skoda says the print data is free for its customers, and the only expense is the cost of running the printer.
Parts for almost any Skoda
Some of the designs are meant for nearly every car the brand makes, older ones included. The universal list so far:
- a cable holder that clips into the seat-back pockets
- a frame that stops a phone sliding about in a storage compartment
- a coin holder that sits in a cup holder
- a hook that fastens to a spare Top Tether anchorage point behind the rear seats
Iveta Stejskalova of Skoda's innovation incubator said the 3D-printing community has noted that a lot of these universal parts also suit other Volkswagen Group cars.
Items for specific models
Other designs are tailored to individual cars. Centre-console organisers are available for the Epiq, Peaq and Fabia. On the Epiq there is also a drop-in piece for the Jumbo Box that sits between the front seats, along with a cup-holder organiser set. Peaq owners can add clips that extend what the folding table can do.
Why Skoda is doing it
The company has used 3D printing since it opened its first printing facility in 1997, mainly in vehicle development. Enthusiasts can already print their own scale car models and themed accessories from the same platform, and the facility turned to printing respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Skoda says the home-print accessories got the same care in design as its official accessories, which are sold through its online shop and at dealers. They were developed by specialists from the innovation incubator working with the User Experience department and colleagues elsewhere in the company. Most of the solutions use storage spaces the cars already have and need no changes to the car itself. Skoda adds that, so long as owners follow its recommendations, the printed parts should work reliably.
Customer feedback steers what gets designed next. Stejskalova said some of the current items were specifically requested by the community, and she promised that the range of printable models will keep growing.
