Since 2010, Tongling Bronze Age Sculpture company has specialized in the creation, production of various sculptures, colored bronze crafts and various metal art processing. With more than 10 years of industry experience in the background, Bronze Age has recognized the value of utilizing 3D digital solutions in the sculpture manufacturing process.

3D digital solutions can facilitate the processes for companies creating and producing sculptures. The Bronze Age example shows how 3D scanning can dramatically speed up the process from design to manufacture.

3D Scanning and 3D Models: Facilitating Mold Production

3D digital solution provides new ideas for sculpture mold manufacturing, and plays a key role in improving efficiency in the 3 stages of clay maquette, 3D model modification, and final mold manufacturing.

Bronze Age chose Shining 3D EinScan Pro HD multifunctional handheld 3D scanner to model a clay maquette. In handheld rapid scan mode, the data acquisition frame rate of the scanner can reach 30fps, which can quickly and efficiently collect data and save time. In addition, the scanner has a minimum point distance of 0.2mm to express rich data details, highly restored 3D information of the physical surface.

Scanning clay sculpture

The 3D model also helps craftsmen tease out potential design problems in a 3D context and find solutions as early as possible. Importing the collected 3D data into professional 3D design software for modification perfectly avoids the time-consuming problem of the traditional lasso method. This 3D model is also useful for clients, who can see what the final design will look like and give the green light. If the client is satisfied with the model, craftsmen begin to manufacture the mold.

By importing the designed final model into 3D printing/CNC machine, the sculpture mold can be accurately manufactured in just one day, dramatically improving manufacturing efficiency while reducing reliance on manual labor.

Software Calculation: Cost Control

The use of 3D scanners also helps craftsmen save materials, as the surface area of the resulting 3D sculptural models can be calculated by software with one click. With many curved surfaces in sculpture, the traditional estimation methods are error-prone, time-consuming and wasteful of materials, while software calculation is easy to operate, timesaving and accurate, making it convenient for craftsmen to accurately estimate production costs and schedule work.

The surface area is calculated using the software

3D Data Archiving

As an additional benefit, 3D scanning technology can also be used for the digital archiving of sculptures. EinScan Pro HD improves the adaptability of the surface materials of the scanned objects and optimizes the scanning efficiency of metal objects (non-highly reflective surfaces). For copper carving, the EinScan Pro HD makes it easy to record data on complex geometries and fine textures, so that the details of the sculpture are well represented. In addition, 3D data can be retrieved directly from the database during secondary production in the future and put into the digital production process.

Sculptures made by the Bronze Age

By all indicators, Bronze Age doesn’t seem ready to stop there in the quest for 3D intelligent manufacturing, it will continue to use 3D digital technology to provide more customers with accurate and efficient sculpture design and manufacturing services in the future.