Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
In ABC's printing room, a boxy machine sat next to several 3D printers.
This boxy machine had a glass front and two arm holes on each side. Inside,
behind the glass panel on the front, rested a powerful air gun. John showed
me how to put both arms into the holes on the sides of the box and blast loose
powder off a freshly printed object using the air gun. On the opposite wall,
several small, metal tubs bubbled with solvents where printed objects were
dunked to inish their surfaces and dissolve away any residual powder.
John showed me a glowing white architectural model of a mansion it for
an emperor. The mansion's front boasted eight pillars that framed a grand
veranda. On its roof, delicate handrails encircled a lat rooftop deck presided
over by a dome with inely etched radial lines. On the mansion's right side, a
set of curved steps carried visitors to the front door.
Such an elaborate architectural model could not have been made using
traditional plastic manufacturing techniques such as injection molding. Nor
could a carving tool (or person) have the inesse to cut its delicate shape from
a block of solid plastic. Traditional cardboard models would not do much
good either. The mansion's rooftop deck rail is as inely detailed as a spider's
web. The open space behind the pillars of the front veranda, if carved, would
result in the pillars snapping under the pressure.
John was blasé about his printed creation, having fabricated far more elabo-
rate objects. “3D printing lets you make some amazing models and parts. Some
of the geometrics you can't make by any other method,” he said.
The ultimate 3D printed architectural model:
an ancient monastery
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