Silicone and 3D printing – is this the future?

I am a Computer Science major however, I have always had a passion for art. For years I’ve been seeking ways to utilize both of my passions for tech and art interchangeably. After seeing pictures of Gucci’s FW18 show in Milan I was stunned. Models were walking down the runway with their heads! I was so intrigued that I did some research into how Gucci made this happened.

“Representing the growth and self-awareness of a person as well as being conscious of one’s evolution, models walked the Gucci Fall Winter 2018 show holding replicas of their heads. To recreate their faces, the models’ moulds in silicone and plaster, and the models were scanned at Makinarium’s headquarters in Rome six months ago for a virtual 3D impression to capture their expressions. This advanced technology is then finished hand texturizing by artisans in the factory’s laboratory.”

The company Makinarium is famous for creating special effects for numerous movies. After finding this out I decided to dig deeper. Silicone has not only been of benefit in the art world but also in other industries such as the medical and aerospace industry, In an article by Alina Cohen it states, “[silicone] shape-shifting potential has inspired everyone from astronauts to plastic surgeons: Neil Armstrong wore silicone-tipped gloves during the first-ever moonwalk; cosmetic surgery has long relied on the material for breast implants;”

3D printing is used alongside silicone molding and casting. 3D printing and silicone casting have many similarities. One is that they are useful for making duplicates and prototyping. However, the traditional material used to 3D is a lot harder than silicone. Using them interchangeably allows for one to still leverage the ability to prototype efficiently while also being able to dedicate certain materials to certain aspects of the design. One team utilized both 3D printing and silicone casting to make a tail prosthetic for an alligator. In an article by Clare Scott, it states,

“The team 3D printed the model and used it to make a silicone cast. That cast was then used to make multiple prosthetic tails for Mr. Stubbs. Why didn’t they just 3D print a wearable prosthetic? While 3D printing has been used to create numerous prosthetics for animals, an alligator tail is especially large, and the team would have needed a large-scale 3D printer to print the prosthetic all in one piece. There are certainly 3D printers that could handle the job, but it would have been a time-consuming print, especially since they wanted to make multiple prosthetics. It would be easier to make one 3D print, use it to make a mold, and quickly cast several pieces.”

There are now 3D printers on the market that can print with silicone. In an article by Farai Mashambanhaka it states, “Wacker Chemie, a leading chemical giant, unveiled the first silicone 3D printer. This development brought great options in critical areas of application, especially in the health and medical areas, where silicone is considered to be biocompatible and tear resistant.” Researchers at the University of Southern California leveraged 3D printing silicone as they found a way to 3D print self-healing polymers, “Researchers at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering have done just that: created 3D-printed rubber materials that can quite literally fix themselves without human intervention.” (Tracey Schelmetic)

3D printers that print silicone are utilized in the medical industry especially for the new development of breast implants. After numerous failures with breast implants erupting surgeons are seeking new ways to create safe breast implants one-way of accomplishing this is through using 3D printers that print silicone.

3D printing and silicone will continue to integrate in the future if technology. I think it is amazing that this intersection ranges from art to the medical industry. It really speaks to the power of STEAM.