May 17, 2017 | By Tess
Sometimes, some of the most awesome 3D printing projects pop up in the unlikeliest of places. Recently, for instance, a hair salon in a suburb of Montreal was kitted out with a stunning (not to mention massive) 3D printed light fixture.
Visitors to the IL Y A LA COUPE hair salon in La Prairie, Quebec, will now not only get to experience their hair services, but will experience them under the glow of an 11 x 5 foot 3D printed light fixture, which was recently installed onto the salon’s ceiling. The piece’s name is Dionysus.
The impressive installation, which was specially designed to fit onto an existing metal frame on the salon’s ceiling, is made up of 450 individually 3D printed oblique pyramids, many of which are reportedly unique in size and shape. The pyramid structures themselves were 3D printed using PLA plastic.
The light’s design was the product of a collaboration between Alain Rouillier, the hair salon’s proprietor; Denis Hubencu, who at the time was interning for a local 3D print shop called Lezar3D; and Robert Gagnon, who runs Lezar3D. As they point out, the fixture’s style was inspired by the folded paper art of origami, which is evident when looking at its geometrically structured design.
Lezar3D, a Montreal-based 3D printing service center, helped to realize the 3D printed light fixture by 3D printing its individual elements using its in-house MakerBot 3D printers. To ensure that the plastic light fixture could be safely installed and operated (without warping, for instance), LED lights were used in lieu of traditional light bulbs.
According to the Lezar3D team, who helped to conceive of and fine tune the light’s design in addition to 3D printing it, the entire process took just over three months to complete. Understandable, considering that each individual pyramid took between four and twelve hours to 3D print, making for over 3,000 of printing time.
“Dionysus represents nature, passion, and the pleasures of life,” says a making-of video of the light. Whether you want to read into the symbolism of the piece or not, its technical features are at least indisputably impressive.
If you want to check out the 3D printed light fixture in person, you’ll likely have to make an appointment at the La Prairie hair salon.
Check out the video below to see how the large-scale 3D printed light fixture was designed, manufactured, and assembled.
Posted in 3D Design
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Such a shame it was done with pla... It will crumble within a year. Foolish