It takes Peter Rodger seven hours to print a seahorse.

"That's if you're talking about the full-grown, 30-centimetre adult one … it's only about an hour for a small one," he said.

Mr Rodger has been 3D-printing polymer seahorses that exactly mimic real ones in their shape, size and feel.

They are being used by Tasmania's Seahorse World as tactile aids, to improve the visitor experience of people with low vision.

Seahorse World general manager Rexie Grey said the aids were a "need" for the centre, which runs guided tours of its display aquariums.

"You can hear the guides talking about seahorses," she said.

"But in terms of visualising what's in all those different tanks, it's very different when you're actually able to feel what they're like."

Potbellied seahorse printing challenge

Mr Rodger runs 3D Alchemy, a 3D-printing business based just around the corner from the seahorse farm and tourist attraction at Beauty Point, north of Launceston.

He said the idea to create tactile aids that mimicked the feel of real seahorses was sparked by a fridge magnet.

After printing some seahorse-shaped magnets from a generic design he found online, Mr Rodger approached Seahorse World with his samples.

"They loved them, and that sort of kicked the whole thing off," he said.

Seahorse biologist Kuan Nee-Lim requested a "visual aid touch set" made up of models much like the magnets, for people with low vision.

"To let them feel what the different sizes of seahorses in their aquariums were like," Mr Rodger said.

So he took up the challenge and returned to his computer.

This species is endemic to the Beauty Point area, and is the star attraction at Seahorse World.

Printing of the aids is done using a polylactic acid, or PLA, plastic which is derived from plants, and allows for high-definition printing.

"In the little 10-centimetre-long models there are just over 70 layers of printing, because you want the detail," Mr Rodger said.

"You want it to look and feel as realistic as possible, so it takes longer to print, but you end up with a better product."

Models went through 'so many' iterations

Seahorse World aquarium manager Jesse Chippindall said Mr Rodger went through "so many different iterations" to make sure the aids were anatomically correct.

This included making multiple adjustments to the models' dorsal fins, anal fins and belly shape.

Male potbellied seahorses extend their bellies to impress females, and contract them when they are either not in mating mode, or newly pregnant, Mr Chippindall explained.

The full, finished set of tactile aids represent these differences in the male, plus the female form, an adolescent, and three different-sized babies.

"We've mimicked the whole life cycle of the seahorse, in terms of the sizes we see — from birth right through to full-grown adults," Mr Chippindall said.

And he is happy with the results.

Improving tourism experiences for more visitors

Coincidentally, a month after Seahorse World decided to make the aids, general manager Ms Grey took a call from an interstate parent whose son has low vision.

"They were thinking about things he could do when he came to visit Tasmania," she said.

Ms Grey said she hoped to grow the tactile aid program and would like to see other businesses do likewise.

The aids could also be helpful for people without a vision impairment, such as children who learn via touch, she said.

The aids are now available for visitors to use upon request, with the centre hoping for feedback on how to expand the offering.