Stratasys Ltd has recently demonstrated the power of their multi-material Objet Connex 3D printing technology within the entertainment industry. In a high profile application, their 3D printers have played a significant role in creating RoboCop’s suit for the next blockbuster movie in the Hollywood series. Designed by special effects company Legacy Effects, 3D printing has been pushed to new heights in the film industry. If you consider the movies and commercials that Legacy Effects has worked on; Iron Man and World War Z, to name just two, the story is a big deal.
It is not the first time 3D printers have been used to produce stage props but this is certainly an occasion which stands out and is bound to attract attention from the younger viewing generation (creating interest) as well as professionals in the film business looking to reduce costs.
As seen in the video, Legacy Effects put the multi-material 3D printer through its paces, producing every aspect of the RoboCop suit as master mould patterns – from boots to the helmet . Depending upon the requirements of each scene, these pieces were moulded and cast into other materials, producing many versions of the suit. In fact some scenes demonstrated that 3D-printing was the right tool for producing 90% of Robocop’s costume.
According to Jason Lopes, Lead Design Engineer at Legacy Effects, RoboCop’s chest-armour piece best shows how the use of 3D printing meets typical challenges that can affect production methods and costs. The combination of smooth surfaces with complex parts like the body armour with embossed badges could not be made efficiently in any other way. Costs of doing so using traditional manufacturing technique would be significantly more.
Clearly, Jason is a 3D printing evangelist with his initial words – “it was the master tool” and his final words with regard to custom iteration – “it doesn’t get better than that.
We shall undoubtedly see greater and greater use of 3D printing in the film industry over the next few years.
Will James Bond having had his Walther PPK confiscated by the baddies be making a 3D printed gun sent to him by Q?