When 3D printing encounters cultural and creative design concepts, objects become artworks

2024-02-28

In March 2020, six departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, and the National Standardization Administration issued the Action Plan for Additive Manufacturing Standards (2020-2022), proposing to establish a new type of additive manufacturing standard system based on national conditions and integration by 2022. In addition, promoting 2-3 advantageous additive manufacturing technologies and standards in China as standards, achieving a conversion rate of 90% for additive manufacturing standards, and continuously improving the competitiveness of additive manufacturing standards.

Clear policy planning, strong government promotion, and active exploration by enterprises have created new opportunities for the gradual development and growth of the 3D printing industry. 3D printing technology has had a huge impact on the cultural and creative industry, mainly reflected in the following two aspects: personalized product manufacturing, cultural relic protection and replication.

3D printing can perfectly combine technology with materials. Some irregular and complex structures in personalized products require traditional manufacturing methods to first cast multiple components and then combine them, which is time-consuming and costly. And 3D printing can be achieved in one step, shortening the production cycle and reducing the cost of personalized pursuit.

Cultural relic protection and replication. Cultural relics that are on the brink of damage or have already been damaged can be restored by obtaining accurate 3D data through 3D scanning and 3D printing technology. Or if some precious cultural relics cannot be exhibited in the museum exhibition area, 3D printing technology can be used to replicate them and display them as samples.

The significance of applying 3D printing to the cultural and creative industry is very significant. Overall, 3D printing technology can create a realistic, accurate, and complete 3D digital archive for unique cultural relics and artworks. With 3D printing technology, this digital model can be reproduced as a physical object anytime, anywhere and with high fidelity. In addition, 3D printing technology can create a realistic, accurate, and complete 3D digital archive for unique cultural relics and artworks. With 3D printing technology, this digital model can be reproduced as a physical object anytime, anywhere and with high fidelity.

The currently widely concerned cultural relic protection technology undoubtedly utilizes 3D digitization for data display, archiving, and restoration. By using a handheld laser 3D scanner, it is possible to quickly, accurately, comprehensively, and from multiple angles, without touching the surface of cultural relics, to obtain the three-dimensional detailed data of cultural relics. This saves a complete set of data for cultural relics, and can be used to repair them in case of accidental damage. It can even virtually repair cultural relics in a computer, avoiding direct damage to the body caused by improper repair, Cultural relic researchers can also use existing three-dimensional cultural relic models for auxiliary research.

Of course, in the specific application process, 3D printing has many different technologies, and the difference lies in creating components with different shapes using various available materials. The commonly used materials for 3D printing include nylon fiberglass, polylactic acid, ABS resin, durable nylon materials, gypsum materials, aluminum materials, titanium alloys, stainless steel, silver plating, gold plating, and rubber materials. The design process of 3D printing is to first use computer modeling software to model, and then "partition" the built 3D model into layer by layer cross-sections, i.e. slices, to guide the printer to print layer by layer. The standard file format for collaboration between design software and printers is the STL file format.

3D printing can make every cultural and creative product unique. Unlike traditional methods, it is not mass production, but can be customized for manufacturing. After this one is produced, there can be changes in the next one, truly promoting the implementation of creative design. However, currently, there is still a significant gap in basic research, engineering applications, and industrial development between 3D printing in China and developed countries in the United States and Europe. Accelerating the development of supporting software, cultivating and supporting 3D printing software enterprises, and developing core components required for equipment will become an important aspect of promoting the development of the 3D printing industry in the future.

Crossing the technological threshold, unleashing imagination, and cultivating designers with professional skills are all the challenges that 3D printing needs to solve when penetrating the cultural and creative industry. In the future, 3D printed cultural and creative products are expected to enter thousands of households.

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