Donating the opportunity to get a closer look at one of the eight guardians watching over the city: that's how the idea of creating by 3D printing one of the eight granite lion heads placed on the Bernascone bell tower, the tallest in Varese, built in 1617, was born.
So LATI3dlab, LATI's laboratory dedicated to the formulation and development of materials for 3D printing, immediately accepted the proposal that came from the parish and Gasparoli restorers.
The making of a technological sculpture: from 3D scanning to post-production
The project of a "technological" 3D sculpture saw different realities at work, each with specific skills, engaged in the development of a unique plastic model.
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The first activity carried out, by PSFACTORY, was the scanning and three-dimensional modeling of the stone mask, with the goal of defining a geometry that could then be 3D printed.
The next phase saw LATI itself playing a leading role through the selection of raw materials and the production of plastic material granules that were easily workable and resistant over time and under the conditions of use.
Partner Randaplast then took care of extruding our granules into the filament needed by the 3D printer to produce the different parts that then went on to form the lion's head.
A 1:1 scale reproduction of the statue was then made using a large-scale 3D printer.
Once the sculpture was obtained, the last step was carried out, namely the decorative intervention in imitation of stone. Using a manual artistic technique, both the color and veining of the original stone were reproduced, resulting in a faithful copy of the granite masterpiece.
So, strolling through the center of Varese, just a few days before Christmas, in the Baptistery Square it will be enough to look up just a little to enjoy, from a unique and close-up perspective, the Ninth Guardian watching over the city.
