The Italian 3D printing manufacturer tested its new range of ceramic 3D printers on a remake of Michelangelo’s famous David sculpture.
WASP, the 3D printer manufacturer, has just presented a new product line that allows for the 3D printing of clay and other dense semi-fluid materials. The company officially launched the DeltaWASP 2040 Clay and the DeltaWASP 40100 Clay. This marks the start of what the company hopes will be a revolution in ceramic 3D printing.
The printers have been tested by artist Andrea Salvatori for his reproduction of Michelangelo’s David – the “Grande testone” (The Big Head) sculpture. Salvatori worked closely with Wasp to help scan, model, and eventually 3D print the final sculpture using a technique called liquid deposition modeling.
The making of Grande testone
To faithfully recreate Michelangelo’s famous artwork, Salvatori used the Wasp 3D scanner to detect and acquire the sculpture structure. This allowed for a faster acquisition of the intricate details of the original sculpture. Furthermore, the 3D modeling software helped refine the graphics of the structure and prepare it for additive manufacturing.
The team then molded sixteen separate elements and later fixed them in place through a special fixture system (3d printed, of course).
The team used the DeltaWASP 3MT Industrial with pellet extruder to create the 16 pieces. To make the process cheaper and faster, the final design is based on a 3D printable plastic material in granules.
Finally, Salvatori gave the sculpture the final touch by plastering the molds by hand. It was then displayed at the contemporary and pop art exhibition Cèramica 2018 at Montelupo Fiorentino.
The final piece not only highlights the innovative new Wasp ceramic 3D printing technology, but also the opportunity for large-scale reproductions of this type.
Source: Wasp
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