The Form 1+ Conquers a T-Rex with Museum Quality 3D Print

When someone thinks of consumer level, at-home 3D printing, they probably either picture a MakerBot FDM-based printer, or a FormLabs SLA-based printer. Perhaps this is because these companies are the leaders within their sub-markets, or perhaps they were the two companies featured on the recent 3D printing documentary that hit Netflix, ‘Print the Legend.’ Recently at the Inside 3D Printing Conference in Santa Clara, the 3DPrint.com team had a chance to meet several of the guys at FormLabs, as they showcased their new materials, the Form1+ 3D printer, and their awesome personalities.

We have done numerous stories on different objects that have been printed on the FormLabs Form1+ 3D printer over the last few months, as it seems as though every one that we cover outdoes the last. The latest of these comes from a company called Peregrine 360 and for those dinosaur lovers out there, this is just what the doctor ordered.

“We are a 3D Design and Prototyping company,” explained Carl Chaumont of Peregrine 360. “Our long term goal is to work along side innovators and support them in turning their design ideas and concepts into fully functional physical models in which we can embed electronic/mechanical features. We want to create new devices that never existed before that can do things people did not know were possible.”

In order to create prototypes for their clients, Peregrine 360 purchased a Form1+ 3D printer, after seeing all of the great creations that others were making on these 3D printers. After printing out a few test prints, and getting used to their new machine, the company decided to try and create something that would really test the quality and capabilities of their new 3D printer.

“So we designed a Tyrannosaurus Rex to a high level of detail with small features to test the printer’s limits.”

Once all of the pieces were printed, it was off to assembling the parts. This was the tricky part according to Chaumont, as it led him to a lot of trial and error testing different types of glues. The parts were then spray painted brown, to give them a more legitimate look, and then the T-rex was mounted for display.

It is really amazing how far we have come in the past couple of years, as far as what is possible for individuals and companies using 3D printing technology.  It would have only be a dream three years ago if I told you that you would soon be able to 3D print a full dinosaur skeleton of this quality, in the comfort of your own home.

As you can see in the images, the end results were quite phenomenal, perhaps even close to museum quality. What do you think about this creation? Discuss in the 3D printed T-rex forum thread on 3DPB.com.