Fusing ancient art with modern tech

THE small, ornate figurines look like relics of a bygone age: a serene Buddha’s head from the Tang dynasty, or a collection of stonefaced soldiers from the Qin era.

The creation process, however, is decidedly modern.

In Northwest Shaanxi province’s capital of Xian, home to such historic sites as the clay Terracotta Army and the 1,000-year-old Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a small studio and factory uses 3D printing technology to replicate ancient art.

“All the intricate details of the original design are preserved in a 3D mould,” said Xi Xin, the president of the Xian Chizi Digital Technology company.

“Human workers may not be able to produce everything we want in the design, but the printer can do it all.”

The firm, whose products are sold at museum shops and to personal collectors, is among the businesses taking advantage of China’s foray into 3D printing.

“In the last five years, 3D printing in China has grown from a one billion yuan (RM643mil) industry to a more than 100 billion yuan (RM64.33bil) industry,” said Luo Jun, the head of the China 3D Printing Technology Industry Alliance.

“Now the scale of China’s 3D printing industry has surpassed those of Europe and the United States.”

The Xian Chizi Digital Technology company has developed its 3D design technology over the last 10 years, using a stereolithography machine to print carefully constructed digital replicas of historic artefacts.

The design process can take between one to three months, while printing requires up to several weeks of time for the more elaborate pieces. Once the prototype is complete, it will be mass-produced in a factory using the same material as the relic it was modelled on.

“Our clients don’t buy our products because of the 3D printing aspect, but it does make things easier,” Xi said.

For instance, if a customer decides that she wants an 80cm elephant instead of a 50cm one, it’s a simple matter of programming the 3D printer accordingly.