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King George III commissioned The Great Pagoda in 1761 so that he could survey London and in particular Kew Gardens. Since then, many of the UNESCO World Heritage site's original features have disappeared, including a series of painted wooden dragons that adorned the octagonal corners of each successive level.
Thanks to visionary work from Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) and 3D Systems' On-Demand Manufacturing team the eye-catching beasts have returned.
HRP required a solution that would authentically replicate the dragons, but be both strong enough to withstand the British weather and lightweight enough not to affect the building structurally. 3D Systems’ On Demand Manufacturing team (High Wycombe, UK) delivered the dragons using a scan-to-CAD workflow featuring Geomagic software, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printing and high-quality finishing. The 72 dragons vary in size from in a variety of sizes from 1150mm to 1850mm in length.
“We turned to 3D Systems to provide the rapid throughput, accurate details, and excellent finishing that was needed for this project,” said Craig Hatto, project director, Historic Royal Palaces. “The engineering skill of 3D Systems’ team, the opportunity to light-weight the dragon statues, and the material longevity of SLS 3D printing were key considerations for this project.”
Bringing the dragons back to life required a unique combination of research and reverse engineering by the company’s On Demand Manufacturing team to enable rapid digital production of the parts. The project involved scanning a wood-carved dragon with the FARO Design ScanArm into 3D Systems’ Geomagic Design X reverse engineering software. The use of CAD enabled, innovative engineering solutions for the dragons, including hidden features to facilitate mounting them to the pagoda as well as a much lighter-weight, hollowed statue that is 60% lighter than wood alternatives.
“In 3D printing, we are not limited by the need or time required to wait for tooling,” said Nick Lewis, general manager, On Demand Manufacturing, 3D Systems. “The existence of digital 3D data gives us freedom to produce parts rapidly, and with custom sizes.
“We so often see 3D printing technology applied to new innovations that when we get the chance to literally make history, it is quite exciting,” said Phil Schultz, senior vice president and general manager, plastics and on-demand manufacturing, 3D Systems. “In this collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces, we were able to bring new technology to bear on a historical landmark – restoring it to its former beauty and helping to ensure its future for generations to come. It’s a testament to the capabilities and expertise of our On Demand Manufacturing team. Our full suite of durable materials, 3D printing technologies, reverse engineering software and practical expertise allow us to create a custom solution no matter how unique the customer’s needs.”
