3D PRINTED METAL SCULPTURE DESIGN: MARC ANTONY’S HELMET
3D print-ready digital design of Roman helmet with Egyptian decorations, for manufacture in stainless steel.
Concept Realizations was contracted to design an ornate helmet, optimized for 3D printing in stainless steel via the Direct Metal Laser Sintering process.
Our client, Custom Prototypes, needed an attention-getting, original sculpture to advertise their metal printing and finishing capabilities, and to enter into the AMUG Conference’s 2018 Technical Competition. The sculpture would be the 30-year-old conference’s first-ever competition entry made in metal.
Our client wanted the sculpture to be an ornate helmet, but beyond that gave us a lot of creative freedom. We proposed a Roman helmet with Egyptian decorations; jewel-winged falcons, a jade vulture and jasper cobra, rams, and a pair of Persian winged lions (because why not?), all topped by a sphinx and a giant red mohawk. Concept Realizations also invented a backstory to tie it all together; the helmet had been a gift from Cleopatra to Marc Antony to commemorate their romance and the alliance between Egypt and Rome.
We digitally designed all the parts in conformity with the 3D metal sintering process’ constraints; wall thicknesses, size, surface quality, and part orientation. We designed all the parts with interlocking connections and very tight tolerances. The entire assemblage required careful attention to detail and understanding of the manufacturing and finishing processes.
Each metal element was printed directly in surgical stainless steel then plated in copper, gold, and nickel, then polished. The jewels, stones, and the mowhawk hair were 3D printed in resin via stereolithography then dyed.
The entire design process was completed in ten days, and our client won the competition.
