3D printing has become a medium for expressing and transforming an artist’s creativity into a visible and tactile entity.
LESIGHT DESIGN is an art design company that applies 3D printing technology in the commercial field. They build a scene, in the venue according to the needs of customers. All architectural models and artistic installations in the scene are 3D printed. Then LESIGHT DESIGN adds in lighting, music, video, and other multimedia to the environment they are creating. For example, if LESIGHT DESIGN is building a modern city, the company will 3D print models of buildings, then add media to convince audiences that they are in a real modern city.
Real multimedia scene
3D printing, a „three-dimensional sketch“
When the company first begins designing the scene, a lot of sketching is required. However, since all architectural models in the sketches are original, designers cannot use ready-made models that are available on the market. LESIGHT DESIGN utilized 3D printing to produce the required custom models.
The company found that 3D printing models made up for the limitations of sketches. Li Dan, design director of LESIGHT DESIGN, believes that 3D printed models are a kind of „three-dimensional sketch“. The company prints their designs as models, enabling them to check whether they fulfill their original ideas. They can quickly make alterations and print the designed model until they achieve the desired result.
3D printed models also allow LESIGHT DESIGN to provide the best presentations to their customers and audiences. Li Dan said that once they designed a large scene of a movie theater. To present their concept to customers, they used the 3D printer to print a scaled model. „This model helps customers get a deep understanding of our design concept, It’s the same as the real one,“ Li Dan said.
Models printed with Raise3D Pro2 Plus
Outsourcing delays the progress
After deciding to use 3D printing to make the model, LESIGHT DESIGN chose to send the model file to a 3D printing service provider, who printed it first. The company felt the experience was convenient, but they were not able to maintain as much control of their project’s schedule as they would like.
„When we work with the 3D printing service provider, it usually takes 3-4 days to print a simple model. It takes an even longer time to make a more complex model”, Li Dan said, “Fine-tuning is more troublesome, we need to communicate with the service provider repeatedly. Our project is seriously delayed. Once, we got the final model only 2 hours before the presentation.”
As a result, they set up an innovation center (le-LAB) and purchased several 3D printers to operate in-house. Once the design is finalized, the designer can print the model directly. Designers can quickly fine-tune the model. “After buying several 3D printers, we have made great savings in time and cost. We can improve projects quickly.“ Li Dan said.
The innovation center (le-LAB) in LESIGHT DESIGN
SLA 3D Printer VS FDM Printer
LESIGHT DESIGN compared various 3D printers on the market. The company needed 3D printers that had high precision with safety features, environmental protection features while being easy to operate.
LESIGHT DESIGN first ruled out SLA 3D printers. Li Dan said, “ Although the precision is relatively high, the post-processing is more troublesome, producing a lot of sewage and solid pollutants. It is not suitable for the office environment. Therefore, we decided to buy FDM printers.“
From the FDM printers in the market, LESIGHT DESIGN chose from Raise3D’s Pro2 Series printers. The Pro2 Plus professional 3D printer has a minimum layer thickness of 0.01mm. The unique motion control system can provide high-quality and stable printing.
LESIGHT DESIGN was very satisfied with printing accuracy and appearance of the resulting models. It does not produce waste that is difficult to dispose of, making it ideal for an office environment. In addition, the red and black color matching of Pro2 Plus printer also matches the aesthetic idea of LESIGHT DESIGN.
Wooden building printed using Raise3D Pro2 Plus
A printer that impresses designers again
LESIGHT DESIGN chose the Pro2 Plus dual extruder 3D printer because of its excellent printing accuracy, stability, and larger build volume. The Pro2 Plus can be equipped with a nozzle with a minimum diameter of 0.2mm, and the positioning accuracy of the X/Y axis can reach 0.78125 microns, which can easily print extremely thin models such as spires, cornices, and thin walls. The Pro2 Plus is also highly stable, making it well suited for long print jobs. Even if a designer at LESIGHT DESIGN needs a 60 hour-print, the resulting model shows good accuracy.
The printing size of the Pro2 Plus printer is 305 × 305 × 605 mm, meeting the needs of LESIGHT DESIGN for printing larger architectural models. LESIGHT DESIGN once printed a model with a height of 60 cm. For oversized architectural models, designers split the models into smaller sections, and then assemble them.
Raise3D products are user-friendly which helps to shorten the learning curve. For example, the Pro2 Plus printer uses a visual interface and is easy to operate. LESIGHT designers without any prior printing experience can operate the printer easily. The entire printer is transparent, and designers can directly observe the printing as it takes place.
Designers who are familiar with 3D modeling can easily use Raise3D’s slicing software ideaMaker to fine-tune the model, even adding texture effects to the model. The online management software RaiseCloud allows designers to monitor printing progress anywhere.
Raise3D provides support services ranging from consultation, printer selection, to installation, training, and after-sales support, making it easier for LESIGHT DESIGNS and other businesses to adapt 3D printing into their operations.
Employees using ideaMaker
The high performance of the Pro2 Plus printer meets LESIGHT DESIGN’s creating needs. Now, the Raise3D Pro2 Plus has also become an innovative tool for all members. Li Dan praised the user-friendliness of Raise3D, „it allows anyone with an idea to shape their ideas with this printer, so that ideas don’t just exist in their heads.“
