Feb. 17, 2015 | By Simon
For most people, the idea of a plastic flower bouquet for their special day probably sounds less than ideal - however if the pair in question are both 3D printing and manufacturing experts, there’s a slight chance that plastic roses might fly. Or at least, this was the case for a couple who recently wed in the Butterfly House at the Indianapolis Zoo in the United States.
Dr. Candice Majewski, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Sheffield in the UK, has been researching additive manufacturing technologies for over 15 years. The 36-year-old met her husband, 28-year-old manufacturing supervisor Bret Hughes of the US, in an online game room for the game Evony over two years ago.
After Hughes proposed, Majewski decided to contact an industrial designer friend of hers, Dr. Guy Bingham, to design the intricate bouquet 3D model - bunch of nine white roses. In total, the 3D model took Bingham - who is also a senior lecturer - over 40 hours to create. Once the final model was completed, the nylon 3D print took a total of 18 hours to complete on the school’s high-resolution EOS FORMIGA P 110 SLS 3D printer.
“We only had a small ceremony, with my husband’s immediate family, but it was a lovely day and the flowers went down well,” said Candace.
“It is lovely because I now have something that will last forever, that I can even pass down to any children and grandchildren. It would be interesting to see how advanced they seem to our grandchildren in the future.”
Unsurprisingly, Candace is excited about the future of 3D printing - both with what she can share with her children and grandchildren as well as in other industries including how it can be used to help advance the future of medicine and prosthesis design.
Images courtesy Bello Romance Photography, Greenfield, Indiana.
While a highly-detailed 3D printed bouquet such as Majewski’s could cost upwards of $200 or £150 to 3D print from a service like Shapeways, a recent search on MakerBot’s Thingiverse brings up some possible inspiration for creating your own everlasting 3D printed bouquet.
"I carry out research into 3D printing and I love what I do, so I thought it would be really cool to make it part of our wedding," explains Majewski."However, having such a special bouquet meant I certainly wasn't going to throw it to my wedding guests!"
“The great thing about having a 3D printed wedding bouquet is that it won’t decay like natural flowers, so we’ll now be able to keep it as a permanent reminder of our special day.”
Images courtesy Bello Romance Photography, Greenfield, Indiana.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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