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Feb.4, 2015 | By Alec

We’ve already seen that 3D printing technology is slowly making progress in the music industry through various 3D printed instruments, but it looks like 3D printers can play an even bigger role in that industry than we previously thought. For Stratasys has just revealed that its 3D printers have been used to develop a number of props for the stage show of Katy Perry’s Prismatic World Tour. Could this be a whole new commercial venture for 3D printers?

As Stratasys revealed, their printers have recently been used by the Hollywood special effects company Legacy Effects to develop a few accessories for the popular singer’s back-up dancers. Specifically, the vibrantly colored Mohawk-like helmets that are being worn during the opening number and hitsong ‘Roar’ have been 3D printed. As you might be able to make up from the photos, the mohawks have been very loosely based on the helmets worn by ancient Roman Centurions. Unlike those, these feature a whole spectrum of colourful lighting effects that match the color scheme of the entire tour. You can see them in action in the DVD clip below:

As Jason Lopes, Lead Systems Engineer at Legacy Effects, went on to explain, each headset has been specifically made to perfectly fit the individual wearer, and they found that 3D printing technology was the best solution to realize that. "When Katy Perry’s art assistant gave us the brief with such a short turnaround time, we knew instantly that creating something so complex and visually striking, with the need for durability, could only be achieved with 3D printing," Lopes said. "Traditionally, it’s virtually impossible and very costly to produce such complex personalized pieces by hand, taking into consideration the time to work out the programming of the lighting elements. With Stratasys 3D printing technology, we were able to develop fully-illuminated pieces with a lightning fast turnaround of under a week. For developing one-off props for the music industry, this is revolutionary."

But as you can imagine, printing something like that isn’t easy, especially as it needed to be durable enough to withstand rigorous use throughout the tour. Its designers therefore chose to combine FDM and PolyJet 3D printing into a single product. The outer crest has been printed in the robust ABS-M30 FDM thermoplastic using FDM printing, which will hold everything together. The inset, meanwhile, was 3D printed in Stratasys’ VeroGray material using PolyJet 3D printing.

By relying on PolyJet 3D printing technology, the Legacy Effects’ team was able to maximize the visual effects of the lighting. This, they hoped, would maximize the show’s wow-factor. ‘We knew that PolyJet’s ability to house a sheet of acrylic inside would ensure that the contrast in colors was emphasized regardless of the spectators’ position in the arena,’ Lopes explained.

While only a small addition to the pop star’s entire tour, it is nonetheless very interesting that 3D printing is becoming a legitimate addition to visual production. Lopes has also noticed that trend, saying that "this is hugely exciting for us as Katy is such a high profile client, but it also represents how 3D printing is enabling us to meet the complex demands of projects like these immediately and providing our clients results within a day."

Could this mean that high-quality 3D printing is moving out of the prototyping and design studios, and into the actual manufacturing? The fact that such a major production company has incorporated 3D printing into its work suggests so. Gilad Gans, President of Stratasys North America, agrees, concluding that this Katy Perry case is just one of several new developments. "We are seeing more and more of our customers using 3D printing beyond just a prototyping tool, but as a way to directly manufacture some of the most complex parts as final products."

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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