Digital applied sciences, like 3D scanning, 3D modeling, and 3D printing, have beforehand been used to create depictions of Jesus Christ and different vital church figures. However at 11 meters tall, I believe a lately 3D printed sculpture of Christ in Colombia will be the largest one but!
Comuna 13 is one in every of 16 communes in Medellín, Colombia, which is the nation’s second largest metropolis after Bogotá. Related to shiny colours, graffiti, and avenue artwork efficiency, the neighborhood is widely known for its vibrant tradition. It’s additionally a extremely popular vacationer spot, and is dwelling to D3House, a visionary staff of designers supported by Creality.
Led by CEO Alejo, a mechatronics engineer, and his co-founder Juanes, a civil engineer and actual property developer, the various staff at D3House is crammed with visionaries in a wide range of specialised roles. They work on many attention-grabbing tasks, like a 3D printed sculpture of the legendary goddess Pachamama, who was worshipped by historical Andean peoples; this 4.5 meter tall sculpture can also be positioned in Comuna 13. The staff used classes they realized making the Pachamama sculpture to good modular 3D printing earlier than tackling what D3House says is the biggest 3D printed Christ sculpture in Colombia.
Pachamama sculpture in Comuna 13. Picture by way of D3House.
15 Creality 3D printers have been used to supply almost 1,699 light-weight modules to construct up the sculpture. Particularly, the K1 Max was chosen for its upgraded Unicorn nozzle, which helped forestall jams and elevated print effectivity by 30%, whereas each the K1 and Ender-3 V3 provided high-speed printing with precision. The staff chosen PLA filament for its lighter weight, sustainability, and energy, plus its capacity to realize fantastic particulars, like textures and creases. A complete of 245,637 grams of PLA have been used, whereas fiberglass helped facilitate post-processing of the sculpture modules, which have been like hole puzzle items.
Christ sculpture in Comuna 13. Picture by way of D3House.
Going with a puzzle-like design for the modules was vital, as a result of D3House was capable of scale back the burden of the sculpture by 40% compared to conventional manufacturing strategies. Plus, by breaking the sculpture up into these smaller items, the staff may print concurrently throughout a number of machines. To maintain the 3D printed Jesus sculpture sturdy and inflexible, they utilized layers of fiberglass with epoxy resin to each the inside and exterior of the shells; this made the items immune to rain, wind, and even erosion. Plus, it enabled the staff to seize extra intricated particulars, similar to cloth folds and facial features.
The staff used a real-time dashboard system to trace printer assignments, the precise quantity of PLA consumption per unit, and the progress of every section. This technique helped them extra effectively reallocate sources, detect instant deviations within the modules, and supposedly full the sculpture with simply 2% wasted materials. The sculpture was accomplished in solely six months, damaged down into 3.2 months of lively 3D printing and a pair of.8 months of post-processing and meeting, which included reinforcing the fiberglass, including structural joints with inner metal, and floor ending. So it was fairly the coordinated effort!
Staff D3House at Creality’s Headquarters
Within the manufacturing heart, print operations have been overseen by Pedro García and Juan Galindo, who hold all 15 printers working easily. Accountable for the technical and upkeep space, Daniel Bolívar labored to realize uninterrupted print efficiency, whereas Santiago Saldarriaga refined the geometry of the 3D printed modules to allow a seamless meeting course of. Lastly, José Román dealt with all of the post-processing and ending.
It appeared just like the challenge was in peril at one time, when all 15 of the Creality printers have been working at capability limits and a number of other failed directly. Progress stalled at 40% for 72 hours, as a result of the staff didn’t have specialised instruments for fast repairs, or a full upkeep staff to finish any repairs. This was a vital juncture, however D3House got here via it with shining colours by redesigning their technique on the fly. Operational printers have been reassigned to precedence modules, and preventive upkeep shifts happened each eight hours. To realize again a while, the staff additionally tailored vital components with strategic cuts. Due to this disaster, D3House will incorporate 30% redundant capability in all future tasks.
D3House CEO Alejo and Co-Founder Juanes at Creality Workshop
The Christ of Comuna 13 was efficiently accomplished and put in, and has now turn into a cultural landmark and vacationer attraction. Moreover, the federal government is now enthusiastic about the opportunity of 3D printing for extra public artwork, and even infrastructure. This 11-meter-tall “image of peace” is a good instance of how 3D printing can pace up manufacturing, lower materials waste, and create interesting, sustainable public artwork.
D3House hopes to outdo itself quickly by fabricating an 86-meter-tall Cristo del Peñol, which could possibly be the tallest 3D printed statue on the planet. Moreover, the challenge will function an onsite 3D printing operations heart, so the general public can witness the sculpture being produced dwell.
Screenshot from video by way of Creality’s Fb
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