cat earrings

Personal Project Overview: 3D modeled earrings, 3D printed in polished bronze

My wife and I are animal lovers. We currently have 2 cats and a tortoise. I wanted to make her something special for her birthday, so decided to model some custom cat earrings. I use the 3D printing service Shapeways.com to produce a lot of things. One of the benefits of 3D printing is the ability to print complex and interlocking models that could not really be achieved by any other process. Since we have 2 cats, I was able to create a model that interlocked the two parts- no seams or joinery.

Shapeways.com uses the lost art of wax casting to produce bronze models. First, the model is printed in wax using a specialized high-resolution 3D Printer. It is then put in a container where liquid plaster is poured in around it. Once the plaster sets, the wax is melted out in a furnace, and the remaining plaster becomes the mold. Molten bronze is poured into this mold and set to harden. The plaster is then broken away, revealing the final piece.