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Creating 2 meter tall bronze statue using 3D printing technology
In collaboration with the London Bronze Casting Company, voxeljet UK Ltd used its 3D printing expertise to produce a 2.2 meter high statue called ‘The Green Man’.
A project to commemorate the foundry that formerly operated in Deptford, London where he now stands. The form and shape of the statue is based on foundry worker, Bill.
To create the part, Sally and Vince (technicians at London Bronze Casting) 3D scanned Bill using a photogrammetry technique. The data was then manipulated in a variety of CAD programs to produce a final digital finish and look.
The figure of Bill carries two cast impellers (a rotor used to increase the pressure and flow of a fluid), a fitting reminder of the products that were formerly made on the site.
What I really like about the Green Man Project, is that it brings a digital aspect to a very analogue statue. It uses a traditional method of casting, but it’s using the very latest technology to create it.
James Reeves, Managing Director UKvoxeljet AG
The 3D model was digitally split into the casting sections and 3D printed in PMMA on an industrial 3D printer VX1000 PPB printer at our manufacturing facility in Milton Keynes, UK. PMMA is an acrylic material used in lost wax casting process. The PMMA print sections were then invested in a ceramic shell and cast in bronze.
The form itself was printed and then processed at London Bronze Casting, a foundry focused on research, innovation and craft to produce the final statue standing 2.2 m tall and weighing 200 kg. After the assembly, welding & metalwork, a green patina was applied to transform the brown tone of the raw cast into a vivid Verdigris, a color that all foundry workers turn by the end of a working day. Bill is the first ever PMMA-cast public sculpture in the UK.
It’s a great moment for foundry in the art industry and design world, because artists and designers are quite curious about new technologies and they’re using computer aided designs and sculpting software more than ever before. Artists can collect and scan 3D objects and manipulate them like no other material without limits. voxeljet are very diligent and have a lot of time for us, just that noticing of what we need from the casting and the detail within all the projects has resulted in a great collaboration.
Tom Winstanley, DirectorLondon Bronze Casting
Further Case Studies
Bronze-cast sculptures produced with 3D printing
In the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, there are three bronze sculptures by artist Shaleigha D'Clark, created using 3D printing
3D-printed sculptures at 2500 metres
At 2,500 metres in the Tyrolean Alps, these 3D-printed sculptures enjoy a special view. They are the fulfilment of a long-held dream of Tyrolean artist Magnus Pöhacker.
3D printing patterns for large-scale sculpting
The Embrace is a public artwork in Boston to honor and remember the life of Martin Luther King and his wife Coretta Scott King. The sculpture was created with 3D PMMA printing and investment casting
58 sculptures cast in bronze visualize the Way of the Cross of Jesus in Nebraska, USA. The unique works of art were created by famous artists using a combination of 3D printing, investment casting and bronze casting.
Functional Architecture with 3D Printing
The Mersitem Wall is a best practice example of how functional and sustainable architecture can be created with 3D printing.
3D printing for sustainable architecture
Singapore's AIRLAB uses these table legs to show how architecture can be made more sustainable and functional at the same time.
3D printing the future of prop manufacturing
Using 3D printing to create cost-effective, realistic movie props.
3D Printing Solutions
Would you like to learn more about voxeljet and 3D printing? Click here for the entire voxeljet solution portfolio.