3D print goes to heads for Perry entry (video)

Feb 12, 2015 at 05:35 pm by Staff


Until newspaper and heatset presses can print 3D images at upwards of 50,000 cph, any interest in the headgear worn by Katy Perry's ensemble in the Prismatic World Tour will have to be academic.

But it's a pretty positive endorsement of the power of print.

Tactile and 3D printing is moving apace and is strongly in evidence at trade shows around the world. Stratasys 3D technology was used by Hollywood special effects company, Legacy Effects for the mohawks worn for spectacular stage entrance.

Structure of each of the illuminated and vibrantly-coloured headpieces is made to fit the artist wearing it, and of course they had to be produced at the last moment.

Inspired by the plume of an ancient Roman's centurion helmet, the mohawks are set to feature throughout the year-long world tour, also needed to be robust. Stratasys says printing the outer crest in ABS-M30 FDM thermoplastic, and the detailed inset in rigid VeroGray material met the need.

Legacy Effects lead systems engineer Jason Lopes says it would have been "virtually impossible and very costly" to produce the pieces by hand, including time to work out the programming of the lighting elements. The fully-illuminated pieces were developed with a turnaround of under a week. "This is hugely exciting for us as Katy is such a high profile client, but it also represents how 3D printing is enabling us to meet the complex demands of projects like these immediately and providing our clients results within a day."

Now all they need to do is to work out how to print them even faster...

Peter Coleman

Sections: Print business

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