Nov.5, 2014 | By Alec

It's hardly a secret that the Formlabs Form 1+ 3D printer is a very cool device that is capable of realizing some very beautiful creations with a very high level of detail. Just a few weeks ago, we reported on the cool project of one of Formlabs' resident engineers, Craig Broady. He 3D printed a hugely impressive and actually magnifying monocle using their signature printer, which utilizes Stereolithography printing technology, also known as SLA.

However, another recent project is perhaps just as ambitious and impressive: a 3D printed T-rex skeleton that is so detailed and authentic-looking, you'd think you just wandered into a natural history museum. You definitely don't have to be a dinosaur-geek to appreciate the beauty of this creation.

This inspiring Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton has been designed and printed by Peregrine 360, a 3D design and print company based in Montreal, Canada. While a relatively young company, they offer a wide range of 3D creation services, including scanning, designing and 3D printing.

This beautiful 3D printed monster is their first project using a Form 1+ 3D printer. As they revealed, they only recently purchased this printer after being inspired by all the high quality creations this model has enabled.

After receiving the printer and taking it on a few test runs, they decided to test the machine to its limits. 'When we received the printer thats when the fun really began. After a few prints and having understood how the printer worked we wanted to truly test the Form1+'s capabilities. At the same time, we wanted to create a model that we are passionate about; a dinosaur. So we designed a Tyrannosaurus Rex to a high level of detail with small features to test the printer's limits.'

The complete model is approximately 45 cm long and some 30 cm tall. As is obvious from the pictures, it involves a number of different components. As this model 3D printer prints in resin, rather than plastic, it will obviously require a curing period as well. For the curing, a high frequency light system was used (UV), which rapidly cures the printed components. 'That is why it looked like the prints were being baked', they explained.

Afterwards, the components were assembled and glued together, which can be a bit tricky. After testing several types of glues, they settled for JB Weld Plastic Bond. This will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to completely harden, but for this they found a special method that might come in handy in other projects: 'what I tend to do is mix it up and let it stand on its own for a few minutes (approx. 5) then I apply it to my model and hold it in place for the remaining of the time.'

Any remaining holes and patches were finally fixed up using a filler primer paint, and some epoxy to fill a few inner cavities and larger surfaces. Finally, this amazing dinosaur was spray-painted to give it this authentic look.

But the creators from Peregrine 360 haven't shared their exact designs for this gorgeous skeleton, perhaps in part because they're planning to launch a Kickstarter for an as of yet unknown project in the near future. But if you're going to showcase your abilities, you might as well do it right. And that is exactly what they have achieved with this inspiring T-Rex skeleton, which will surely invoke jealous reactions from makers everywhere.


Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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