DeeThree 3D Prints Elaborate Playstation Trophies for Official Sony PS4 Commercial

For those individuals who feel as though 3D printing poses no potential in the manufacturing and prototyping industries, they need to step back and come to the realization that this technology is here, and it is here to stay. We’ve seen many large corporations and government organizations using the technology for over two decades now, and with the recent introduction of affordable desktop 3D printers, the technology is now available to the masses.

You may recall a couple stories we did in the past about a company called DeeThree. Back in March, we reported on some very elaborate 3D printed yacht models they created, and in November of last year we reported on 3D printed snails that they fabricated for use in a unique TV commercial. Today, 3DPrint.com has been informed by Peter Davis, Director of DeeThree Limited, that they have now created 3D printed trophies for a newly released Sony Playstation 4 TV commercial.

The commercial, which was produced by a company called 1000heads, features many of these realistic looking trophies.

“The whole project started with a PDF drawing the clients had made,” Davis tells 3DPrint.com. “Drawing in Maya, we converted the PDF’s into a workable file that could be 3D printed. They needed a run of nine trophies in bronze, silver and gold. However, the clients budget meant that 3D printing all the trophies was not financially viable due to the volume per piece and the time needed to print – each model stood at 27cm in height.”

DeeThree was able to solve this problem though, by making a single 3D printed master copy on their Z-Corp 650 3D printer. They then used this to make a silicone cast which was able to be replicated 9 times using more traditional model making techniques. They used blackboard paint which was added to the powdered print, and then filled any blemishes with polyfiller, prior to wet sanding the master copy using a 1600 grit sandpaper. This enabled them to achieve a “flawless finish.”

After the silicone master trophy was completely cured, in a process which took about 24 hours, the side of it was cut in order for the 3D printed master copy to be removed.

“Each mold was placed in a frame created from 5mm card and 85 shore polyurethane [was] poured in, taking 20mins for one trophy to set,” Davis tells us. “We used epoxy resin glue to attach the handles to the trophy body, creating a strong bond which would allow them to be picked up and maneuvered easily on the shoot, then sanded and filled to clean out any imperfections.”

This left the DeeThree team with matte finished white plastic trophies which then needed to progress through some additional post-processing steps in order to be ready for the video production. The trophies were first primed with a single layer of matte black, before the team applied a cellulose-based gold, silver and bronze paint, and then a high gloss lacquer to ensure that they would shine like real metal.

“MakerBot fans will be pleased to know that the individual Platinum Swirl Trophy was produced entirely in 0.2mm resolution ABS on our Makerbot Replicator 2X,” Davis explained. “We used the same traditional techniques as before to get a smooth finish on this unique model. Spraying the cold metallic blue onto the platinum arm was a challenge and a highlight.”

The ball that is on the center of the trophy had to be 3D printed in two halves before being coated in a layer of clear lacquer. This ensured that it would remain in place and it also helped bring out the darker tones in the metallic blue color.

Amazingly it took just three days to create all of the models seen in the commercial, which was officially released by Sony on July 30th.

What do you think about the hand that 3D printing played in the creation of these detailed trophies for a commercial made for one of the world’s most well respected electronics companies? Discuss in the 3D Printed PS4 Trophies Forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the commercial as well as some additional photos below.