Apr 13, 2017 | By Tess
IMG Golf and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council recently enlisted the help of UK-based 3D printing solutions supplier isodo3D to additively manufacture replica trophies for its Pro-Am tournament. The 3D printed trophies, which were based on the iconic Falcon Trophy (awarded to the winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship golf tournament and originally designed by Edward Asprey), will be given out at the next three upcoming golf tournaments.
Using 3D scanning, 3D printing, and various other manufacturing processes, isodo3D took on the task of creating a series of 18 quarter-scale trophy replicas for IMG Golf and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. Luckily for us, they’ve given a glimpse into what exactly went into the small trophies.
According to isodo3D, 3D printing was the most efficient way to manufacture the trophy toppers (which, curiously, represent a falcon landing atop a golf ball), while the plinths (or bases) were made by hand turning wood. To make the trophies as true to the original as possible, the isodo3D team used an HP 3D Structured Light Scanner Pro S3 to 3D scan the full-scale Falcon Trophy.
From there, the 3D model was sent to Warwickshire-based model-making firm Malcolm Nicolls Limited, where it was manufactured using SLA 3D printing technology. To be more specific, the master model was made out of Accura® 25 material and was printed on a ProJet 6000 3D printer.
Once the model was printed, it required a fair amount of post-processing, including hand-finishing and a “perfect gloss” surface paint coat. Once that was complete, the isodo3D team used the 3D print as a base for a soft silicone tooling process. The silicone tools were then cast with a durable polyurethane material (similar to ABS).
When all the castings were complete, the set of polyurethane trophy tops were sent to a plating specialist for vacuum metallization, a process wherein metals are evaporated in a vacuum chamber which causes a layer of the metal to bond to the object’s surface.
The wooden bases for the trophies were labelled (with logos and sponsors) and laser engraved at a facility in Bedfordshire, after which the trophies were assembled, finalized, and quality checked. Finally, after everything was complete, the set of 18 falcon trophies were shipped to Abu Dhabi for the golf tournament.
‘’The Falcon Trophy, originally designed by the renowned silversmith Edward Asprey, has become such an iconic feature of the Championship that we wanted to reward the winners of the annual Pro-Am, played as a curtain raiser to the tournament, with a sub-size replica to be a special memento of the day," said Peter German, Tournament Director of the Abu Dhabi event. "We approached isodo3d who successfully produced a fantastic and accurate, and importantly reasonably priced, replica – they looked good and the winners loved them.’’
It is not the first time 3D printing has been used to create iconic trophies, as the technology also helped in the making of this year’s Oscar statuettes (as well as last year’s).
isodo3D is based in Southampton, UK, and offers a variety of 3D printing services, as well as 3D printers for sale from Ultimaker and 3D Systems. It also sells Geomatic software and HP’s range of 3D Structured Light 3D scanners.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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