Apr. 10, 2015 | By Simon
Although 3D printing has become synonymous with a variety of ready-to-print goods that anybody in the world can utilize with access to a 3D printer, some of the best projects we’ve seen to date have been of the more ‘exclusive’ variety that were usually done for a private client who wanted a particular object that wouldn’t have likely been able to be created through traditional manufacturing methods. Recently, we saw a collection of highly-detailed 3D printed yachts done for a yacht maker by UK-based DeeThree, among other examples.
More recently, an Indian 3D design and printing company has created a 24K gold and ruby Hindu temple that - because it couldn’t be made using traditional manufacturing or handmade techniques - was created using additive manufacturing technology for a private client.
The company, Cremagine, was founded by Tejas Divan, Bakul Soni and Bhavik Soni in 2014 with the vision of becoming synonymous with 3D printing in the consumer space in India. With their diverse backgrounds including engineering, product design and marketing, the Sonis and Divan have successfully been able to launch, among other products, a line of SLS 3D printed iPhone cases under their Cremagine brand prior to taking on the 3D printed temple project. Additionally, they were the first company to 3D print a married couple for their wedding.
To create the 3D printed temple - which is referred to as a Mandir in Hinduism - the company modeled the entire structure to be printed as a single piece using a Sinterstation Pro SLS 3D printer from 3D Systems, however the base for the miniature temple was printed separately using an Ultimaker 2.
“(The temple) stands in continuation of a millennia old hindu tradition of worshipping the divine through murtis enshrined in the mandir,” the company told 3Ders.
“A physical temple helps one internalize the purity, peace and presence of god all around. Just as one needs a temple to enshrine a murti, similarly one needs a purified to hold god therein. Based on these guidelines, our model is miniature model of a temple in which a miniature murti of god enshrines and is worshipped.”
Once the temple was printed, the company used their previous experience with jewelry making and stone setting to apply a 24K gold foil to the printed piece before bejeweling it with emeralds and rubies to give the model its final touch. To stones on the top of the temple are set on a complex silver Cubic Zirconia fixture, which was printed first on EnvisionTEC and then used to create a mold to cast the final silver fixture. Finally, the peacocks were hand painted using enamel paint to add the final details.
The resulting miniature temple is not only an impressive feat of 3D printing-based craftwork, but is also a great explanatory model that features elements used in full-scale Hindu temples.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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