The Art of 3D Sculpted Printing : Royal Coat of Arms Case Study

Design, Development and Prototyping of a Royal Coat of Arms using 3D printing technology: Presented to the HRH the Duke of York, Prince Andrew

What and Why?
The MA 3D Digital Design team was approached by 3M Buckley Centre to create a 3D printed gift item to then be presented to HRH the Duke of York.

Introduction:
Digital 3D software and the use of 3D modelling is impacting on the evolution and efficiency of productivity and manufacturing across the design industries. 3D printing goes hand-in-hand with 3D software to produce
new products by creating rapid prototypes, and enables a faster design cycle, which aids product development. Essentially, it can minimise material waste. The future will be to print what you want when you want from home.
The printing method applied in this research is a relatively new plastic based printing technology and comes at a price. Currently, Formiga P110, the machine used to print out this particular example, cost around
£200,000, and stands 6ft tall to 6ft wide. It is not easily camouflaged in your average household. Although there are cheaper alternatives available, they are less accurate and generate a poor surface quality, These alternatives use a different printing and material process which costs around £2,000.