Feb.5, 2015 | By Simon

Of all of the 3D printing projects you’ve seen, you probably haven’t seen something like this before.  Materialise, the digital fabrication services company founded by Fried Vancraen 25 years ago, announced today that they have 3D printed a cat that isn’t afraid of water.

Yes, a cat.

The company has 3D printed a jaguar in their facility that stands at 4 meters (13.6 ft) long and 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall - quite a bit larger than a typical jaguar and much larger than what most would ever associate as “a 3D print”.  

The finished print was sent directly from the Materialise Factory to the bow of the KISMET, a luxury yacht that only first saw water itself for the first time just last year.  

To fabricate the jaguar, the Materialise team used their Mammoth stereolithography machine to create over 5,000 layers at a resolution of .5mm. To ensure that the 3D print was both worthy of being mounted to the bow of a luxury yacht as well as be able to hold up against unpredictable ocean conditions, the Materialise team coated the final print with a series of protective layers before giving the 220 lb feline a final finished aesthetic coat.

The Mammoth Machine, which is oftentimes used for car prototypes, was developed by the Materialise team to build huge stereolithography parts in one piece.  The idea spawned out of the need to have large-scale high-resolution 3D prints that were free of any gluing or assembly to maintain a streamlined finish and superior quality.  Although they still have to glue or assemble some orders, the machine is able to print up to 2 meters at a time. 

Instead of printing the entire cat, the team chose to just print the outer shell - which makes up a total of 5.8% of the total volume - and then iintegrated a 3D printed structural support system within the body to ensure that the cat would remain reinforced to the bow without breaking.

While we may have seen 3D printed felines before - and perhaps even 3D printed toy boats before - this gigantic 3D printed jaguar designed for the bow of a luxury yacht is definitely a first.  

No word yet on if Materialise has any plans to make the 4-meter long 3D print file available for others to print and place a jaguar in their living room, but if you’re adventurous enough and happen to own a yacht, you now know who to approach if you want something 3D printed to be installed on your bow.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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