3DP Unlimited, a leading manufacturer of large-scale, industrial-class 3D printers based in Illinois, recently took their 3D printing capabilities to the next level when they constructed a life-sized version of one of their employees.
Watch the video below, courtesy of Industrial Equipment News, to see the engineering dynamics required to bridge the gap from printing motorcycle parts to a human-sized model.
The inspiration for the life-sized 3D employee is Kecheng Lu, a marketing communications specialist for 3DP Unlimited. The company took a 3D scan of Kecheng and utilized their large-scale FDM 3D printer, the 3DP1000, to do the rest.
The clone was constructed out of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic, which is derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugar cane. As a result, it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Over the course of seven days, the new Kecheng was printed in two parts — upper and lower portion — and then assembled together. In the end, Kecheng 2 weighed just 21 points and looked remarkably lifelike — from the necklace to the watch, all the way down to the shoes.
Would you be interested in 3D printing a life-sized version of yourself? What are the benefits of creating large prototypes? Do you have any interesting ideas for how this technology can be applied?