Smithsonian Institute Uses 3D Printing to Replicate and Share Its Collection with the World

The entire collection of rare objects at one of the world's most famous museums, the <a href="http://www.si.edu" target="_blank">Smithsonian</a>, may soon be readily available for other museums and organizations around the world, thanks to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/3d-printed-wearable-planters-let-you-take-plants-with-you-everywhere-you-go/" target="_blank">3D printing</a>! Using oversized 3D scans, the Smithsonian Institute is making a effort to recreate their massive collection, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/scientists-will-begin-3d-printing-dinosaur-robots/" target="_blank">from sculptures to fossils</a>, and make 3D models and a 3D digital archive of each. One of the first specimens, a 3D-printed replica that the Institute made of a Thomas Jefferson statue from Monticello, was just installed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-smithsonians-vaulted-canopy-brings-nature-and-light-inside/" target="_blank">The Smithsonian Institute</a>’s vast collection numbers over 137 million items, and of that only 2 percent are on display at a time. Despite many pieces being in storage, the Institute is making a concerted effort to share is bounty with the rest of the country by making copies available.

Traditionally, sculptures and busts are copied with an arduous process of molding and casting. But the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/david-adjayes-african-american-smithsonian-museum-breaks-ground-this-week/" target="_blank">Smithsonian</a> decided that using modern technology could be a better way to create museum quality replicas.

Using a Minolta laser scanner worth upwards of $100,000, sculptures, busts, and other items are scanned to create a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/83-year-old-woman-gets-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-jaw/" target="_blank">meticulous 3D model</a>.

The Smithsonian works with <a href="http://www.studioeis.com/" target="_blank">Studio EIS</a> to create the scan, and then has the file printed by <a href="http://www.redeyeondemand.com/" target="_blank">RedEye on Demand</a>. Just like castings, the models are then treated with the appropriate patinas, paints and finishes to match the original.

By replicating the pieces digitally, the Smithsonian is not only making copies easily available, but also slowly creating a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/3d-printed-little-shining-man-kite-by-heather-and-ivan-morison-is-a-stunning-kinetic-sculpture/" target="_blank">3D digital archive</a>.

The scans together make up an alternate digital Smithsonian, which could keep artifact information safe should they be damaged, but also enable museums, schools, and other organizations unprecedented access to the museum’s collection, possibly ordering replicas of their own down the line.

A replica statue of Jefferson that looks much like the real thing!