“The lady inside told me it was a machine from BigRep,” recalls Crowley. “I said, ‘When’s the last time you had a filament jam?’ She said, ‘About a month ago.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I need that machine.’”
Monday, February 18, 2019
BigRep’s 3D Printer Takes ‘First Man’ to the Moon
“The lady inside told me it was a machine from BigRep,” recalls Crowley. “I said, ‘When’s the last time you had a filament jam?’ She said, ‘About a month ago.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I need that machine.’”
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4 comments:
3D printers are a fascinating thing to me: their scope of projecting and creating things is so huge that there does not seem the possibility for them to not be able to do something.
3D printers are those tools that exist to make the lives of everyone easier in the visual art arena. Their capabilities to print big pieces with details can be so useful to people who are curating physical models of objects, as was the case with Nathan Crowley.
This article stands witness to how Crowley understood the full potential of 3D printers and utilized it for his production, which obviously paid off. This juts tells everyone involved in the physical curation of things that with the use of 3D printer, people can make more objects that are more impact full, and offer a wider sense of depth into their creations, which is not always possible with 2D models or 3D models that have nothing but structure to them. 3D printers are there to curate objects using a lesser amount of time, with the end result being better that before.
I have some experience with 3-D printers, in my school’s advanced stagecraft class. We used it when we were learning Auto-cad, where we drafted our own cup to be printed. I’m relearning how to use AutoCad now in studio craft. With all mentioned previously in mind, I can really see how they are using 3-d printers in the entertainment industry to make models. What Nathan Crowley did, found something that really updated the model making process in the film industry. My question is how 3-D printing could help in other parts of the entertainment industry. I can see 3-d printing work with theatre not in models, apart of the design process in theatre, to something that can be apart of the final product. Still would only be productive I feel used for things a bit more smaller scale, I see it used for props, and costumes. Used in sets more for smaller pieces like in details and texture.
I can see so many custom props and decorative hardware and accessories going from being a purchase or craft job to being 3D-printed. It is interesting to see that models are also starting to be printed in plastic. Crowley and his team rightfully adore this printer for being able to print large objects – trying to piece together different 3D printed parts can take a lot of work, special adhesives, and parts need to modeled with certain tolerances. Without a doubt, this machine must cost a fortune, but this film team probably makes that money back quickly. Even so, with the boom in 3D printing going on right now, I would not be surprised if 3D printers started popping up in prop shops soon. In class we talked about how CNC routers have changed the layout skills sets and assumptions carpenters have when constructing scenery. I wonder if 3D printing will ever do the same to props makers – if a part can just be modeled, printed, and painted, why build hand props from scratch? I would much rather build props from scratch, and keep passing down the large arsenal of skills props people know, but who knows where technology will take us.
3D printers have a big future ahead of them, not just in the theatre industry but throughout society. Especially as they become faster and usable with more and more materials, the possibilities that machine driven, additive manufacturing have are amazing. Setting aside the applications in organ transplants, space exploration, and agriculture, though, as 3D printers become more available, reliable, and useful, I think that they are going to fundamentally change the theatre industry in a variety of ways, but especially, and most obviously, for the scenic department. Many props people are already benefitting from the versatility that 3D printers afford, but with larger, more versatile machines, I would be surprised if scenic designers don’t start printing out their design models in the near future, allowing them to rapidly see and present perfect models in color and scale. Soon after that, I wouldn’t be surprised if whole set pieces started being printed, from doors to flats to, if the technology allows, even platforms.
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