Silca Mensola 3D Printed Titanium Computer Mount

The Silca Mensola bike computer mount has just launched – here’s the story of this unique new 3D-printed titanium design from the USA-based brand.

“What if we could remove traditional manufacturing constraints from the design of a computer mount?”

This question was the starting point of the Silca Mensola’s development process – a design goal stemming from the fact that so many riders desire a clean cockpit and a place for their bike computer without adding extra clamps to the bars.

In pursuing this goal, Silca went on a journey that would take them into a new realm – in-house 3D-printed metals, an area that promises to open up a wealth of innovation for the Indianapolis brand.

Looking To The Future

To get to the creation of the Mensola, we need to back up one year when Silca’s owner, Josh Poertner, was considering the path his company would take. His aim was to tie the future of the company with the future of manufacturing and embrace that as a driving force behind new designs.

Through the latest 3D-printing technology, Josh found a cutting-edge manufacturing method that allows virtually limitless creativity, allowing the designer to change everything from the initial thought process to planning the final design with minimal constraints.

Traditional manufacturing and materials can, and have, put limitations on designs both in terms of flexibility of the final design and challenges with mass production. Going back to the notion of doing away with an extra clamp on your handlebar, 3D printing offers the opportunity to create a variety of stem-specific variations without the complications of additional tooling or moulds.

A great by product of this is that there is no lower or upper limit to the number of products printed, so there is no wastage. A mix of products can be grown to spec from one raw material – eco-friendliness that reinforces the method’s credentials as the future of manufacturing.

The Mensola Is Born

The Mensola is Silca’s first product born from thinking outside traditional manufacturing constraints and embracing the new techniques that 3D printing allows.

Made from 6Al/4V titanium, Silca has chosen to embrace the flexibility of 3D-printed design with the Mensola’s structural sound stress skins. Similar to an aircraft wing, the load from the computer is in the top and bottom skins. The material inside the skins isn’t doing too much for strength and can be hollowed out to save weight while leaving load bearing struts.

This design – only achievable through 3D printing – gives a final product that is 15 percent lighter and up to 12 times stronger than existing mounts on the market. Beyond the weight saving, the stress skins design also allows the creation of a fluid, highly aerodynamic form.

Removing the need for a clamp, there are 12 different geometries of the Mensola to fit virtually every stem manufacturer’s models. Measuring from 22mm to 35mm (stem bolt center to center) there is a mount to fit almost any stem on the market.

The Mensola is a beautiful computer mount that reduces weight, increases aerodynamics and maintains the clean lines of your cockpit. But its clever and creative design elements are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Silca’s ongoing use of 3D printing – and we’re excited to see where the technology takes the brand next.