With the continuous popularization of 3D printing, more and more people have begun to use 3D printing technology to make various models and handwork. The efficient and convenient technical advantages have been widely praised.
The 3D printed construction model refers to a construction model, a sand table model, a landscape model, and a miniature model produced by a 3D printing device. In the past, when construction models were made, designers usually used wood, foam, gypsum, aluminum and other materials to assemble the models. The entire process was cumbersome, which not only reduced the aesthetics and quality, but also affected the rendering of the construction layout. With the help of special equipment and materials for 3D printing, the 3D construction model can be accurately converted into solid objects of equal scale, which truly represents the architect’s design concept.

SHDM’s SLA 3D printers have printed many cases for the construction industry, such as: sand table models, real estate models, monument restoration models, etc., and has a wealth of customized solutions for 3D printed building models.

Case 1-3D printed Buddhist church model
The model is a Buddhist church in Kolkata, India, which worships the Supreme Personality Godhead, Krishna. The church is expected to be completed in 2023. The client needs to make a prototype of the church in advance as a gift to the donor.

Design of the Church
Solution:
Large volume SLA 3D printer successfully digitized the process of model production, converted the design drawing into a digital format usable by the printer, in only 30 hours, the entire process is successfully completed through the post-coloring process.

CAD model of the Church

Finished products
To make a realistic and delicate architectural model, the traditional manufacturing method have to use corrugated fiberboard and acrylic board to build the model step by step, or even by hand and it often takes weeks or even months to make, sculpture and paint.

Advantages of 3D printed architectural model solution:
1. ± 0.1mm precision to achieve accurate equal scaling, all details are perfectly presented, and the display effect is excellent;
2. Able to produce samples with extremely complicated surface and internal shapes at one time. It eliminates a lot of disassembly and splicing work, and greatly saves materials and time , and it is also featured with high speed, high efficiency and high detail expression ability that traditional manual or machining can’t achieve. At the same time, the model strength is higher;
3. After the 3D model is printed, by simply removing the supporting material, the technician can perform surface treatments such as grinding, polishing, painting, and plating to present the necessary appearance and texture.
4. The range of materials available for 3D printing models is also very wide. Architects use more photosensitive resins and nylon plastics. They need to be colored by themselves. The color 3D printer supports multi-color printing, and does not need to be colored in the later stage. It can even print models of different materials such as transparent or metal.
In summary, compared with traditional molding methods, the advantage of 3D printing technology lies in the fast and accurate physical reproduction of diverse and complicated 3D building models at a low cost. 3D printed building sand table models are widely used, which can be used at exhibitions, displayed when applying for projects, can be shown to customers in advance of physical building models, can be used as residential real estate model displays, and so on. With the complex development of architectural design, the limitations of traditional model making are becoming increasingly prominent. As a rapid prototyping technology, 3D printing will become an indispensable weapon for architectural designers at home and abroad.

Model Cases: