3D Printing Thomas Jefferson 

Thomas Jefferson was a large figure in American history. At RedEye On Demand, he also proved to be a large figure in the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D Production System.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) wanted Thomas Jefferson to be a central piece in its new exhibition, "Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty." The use of a bust didn’t fit into the design concept, and moving a bronze statue from the Visitors’ Center at Monticello was not an option.

Jefferson was split into four parts and printed in black to reduce the visibility of any scratches. The statue was pieced together with pegs to deliver a seamless look.

"Then Bryan Sieling, Chief of Design at NMAAHC, suggested that we speak with our colleagues in the Digitization Program office and Office of Exhibits Central who do 3D work," said Dorey Butter, Project Manager, NMAAHC. "He called them, and they recommended RedEye." Mick Schrempp, RedEye Account Manager, began a relationship with NMAAHC that facilitated the next steps.

"Many 3D laser scans were taken of the existing Monticello statue from different angles, pieced together and sent to RedEye as a digital model," Butter said. Once at RedEye, the computerized Jefferson was welcomed by Schrempp and Perry Hubbling, RedEye Project Specialist.

Schrempp knew that a thicker build slide would lessen the cost, as would a "sparse fill" concept, which he suggested to the team. "One of the main reasons the Smithsonian came to us was to reduce its costs," said Hubbling. "Our main concern was to minimize the amount of support material during the build. That has a big influence on the build time and thus the cost. The outer wall of the statue is about .075 of an inch thick," he said. "The inside looks like a honeycomb." The result is a lighter, yet very strong, model.

Perry Hubbling poses with an early stage of the Jefferson statue at RedEye’s production facility.

The Jefferson model was produced using the FDM process in which a plastic filament is fed into an extrusion head and heated to a semi-liquid state. Following a toolpath defined by the CAD file, the head deposits the material accurately in layers as fine as 0.005-inch thick. The model is built from the bottom up – one layer at a time.

"This was a fairly easy project," said Hubbling. "The biggest challenge was figuring out where to split Jefferson, as the model was too large for even the largest Fortus 900 3D Production System." RedEye engineers recommended producing Thomas in four parts. They cut the CAD model in the middle of each of Jefferson’s thighs and in the middle of his chest. Later, pegs were used to bond him back together before being shipped to Washington. The Jefferson statue was created with a black, M-30 material because of that material’s higher tensile strength, according to Schrempp.

"Post-production included some sanding, a bronze fill finish, a few coats of a sandfill primer, additional sanding then gold paint," said Vince Rossi, 3D Digitization Coordinator for the Smithsonian. "Then black wax was added to give it a bronze effect."

The statue is shown in various stages of production: after it was sanded, while it was painted gold (pre-bronze).

"We worked with the studio that produced the original sculpture, StudioEIS , to get permission to make the copy," said Elizabeth Chew, Curator of Monticello. "Studio sculptors wanted to make sure the patina would be right. They were hesitant to have their work copied in this way, but they agreed when they realized the care and quality of the work done by RedEye."

"This may be the first 3D printed mannequin ever to go into a museum," said Rossi. "Not many museums are doing work with rapid prototyping. If they are, it’s on a much smaller scale. My colleagues and I now evangelize about the technology and how it can support the Smithsonian mission to create touchable models and scientific replicas. Many of our objects need to go out on loan, but whenever we transport an object, we put it at risk. If we can scan a model and e- mail the data to create a replica, that’s much better."

The statue of Thomas Jefferson is a central piece of the Smithsonian’s new exhibit, "Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty."

The Jefferson project was one of the longest running jobs at RedEye, according to Hubbling. The total build time was 396 hours. Timing was important, as the statue needed to be ready for the opening of the exhibit, which will run from January 27 through October 14, 2012, in NMAAHC’s gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. “The process went smoothly, and we got what we wanted,” added Rossi.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the level of detail," said Butter."“I remember Elizabeth’s first comment when she saw the finished product. She said, ‘Oh my gosh, it looks just like him!’"

"This turned out to be the perfect solution," added Butter, who said the Jefferson model may be used for educational purposes back at Monticello after the exhibit closes. "It was awesome. The technology has opened our eyes to different possibilities. This was much more than we had hoped for."

Photo credits: Studio EIS, Smithsonian Institute and RedEye On Demand

Case study courtesy RedEye on Demand