3D Systems Presented Cooper Hewitt with Elegant 3D Printed Scissors for Ribbon Cutting at Grand Reopening

Andrew Carnegie had a lot to say on the subjects of success, giving back magnanimously, and the benefits of solid teamwork. Certainly, with the renovation and reopening of the Cooper Hewitt Museum, housed in the Carnegie Mansion, their original benefactor would have been applauding the expansive efforts of so many individuals coordinating, drafting plans, and applying both concepts and craftsmanship to the three-year project, culminating in a modernized, enhanced museum located on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

We’ve been reporting on the progress of the Cooper Hewitt as they worked toward their reopening date after three years, using a great deal of 3D design and 3D printing technology via 3D Systems.

As a nod to the ‘cutting’ edge of technology being presented throughout the reopening of the museum, 3D Systems created a sleek pair of oversized 3D printed scissors for the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony on opening day last week. The 3DS team designed, modeled, and 3D printed the scissors as their last project for the culmination of their involvement in a historical project that will have cultural impact for decades to come for New York City visitors and residents.

Using a Sense 3D scanner, the designers created a basic shape from which to work, carving out an elegant scissors shape featuring an intricate lace detail. The design was made to be fully functional. 3D printed on a ProJet 6000 SLA printer, the team created the scissor pieces to be sanded, nickel-plated, and polished to a mirror-like sheen before they were put together for a perfect fit and sharpened and ready to meet the celebratory ribbon.

In taking the project and events full circle, the scissors were printed on the same type of printer that is being exhibited in the Cooper Hewitt Process Lab sponsored by 3DS.

3D Systems has been front and center with innovations regarding 3D design and 3D printing employed at Cooper Hewitt, beginning with a massive project that ended in a compact design for tabletop replicas of the Carnegie Mansion at the Cooper Hewitt’s National Design Awards Gala in October.

With programs, workshops, and festivities abounding, the reopening has truly celebrated all the hard work that so many teams put into revamping the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. In a whirl of new exhibits and activities for visitors, the Cooper Hewitt has been showing off in a very high-tech way in multiple collaborations with 3D Systems that deliver impact to the public, introducing them to the basics of 3D printing technology as well as showing how it has the potential to change the world in so many ways, from offering 3D printed prosthetics to 3D printed robotics helping paraplegics learn how to get out of a wheelchair and actually walk again.

The 3D printed scissors were a focal point of attention, and now are the topic of conversation regarding a place for them in the museum’s official collection.

Have you ever been to the Cooper Hewitt Museum? What do you think of the combination of art and technology? Share your thoughts with us in the Cooper Hewitt 3D Printed Scissors forum over at 3DPB.com.