Design Studio Creates Unique Polyps and Microphone for U2's 360 Tour

For superstar rock band U2’s massive U2360 tour, which delivered concerts to arenas worldwide from 2009 to 2011, the band needed a steering-wheel-shaped microphone strong enough for singer Bono to swing from. Oh - and it had to glow from within, illuminated by LEDs. U2 turned to 1212-Studio, which had provided challenging large, illuminated stage pieces for the same tour.

“Bono’s microphone was a much more complicated design and manufacturing challenge because of how it was going to be used on tour,” said Tommy Voeten, president of 1212-Studio. As with the set pieces, Voeten relied on his Dimension 3D printer. His team created several design iterations to optimize pressure points and position the many electronic components. Voeten was so satisfied with the quality and strength of the prototypes, he optimized the design so the finished product could be 3D printed as well. “The ABSplus material did a phenomenal job with strength and finish,” said Voeten. “It was strong, and we could finish it to perfection.”