I’ve been a regular attender of New York Comic Con for several years now and, as anyone who attends Comic Con knows, watching the cosplayers is one of the most interesting aspects of attending. I have definitely noticed over the last couple of years, a significant increase in the use of 3D printing for masks, props, and, in some cases, entire costumes. Belgian engineer Christopher Zuk has taken this to the next level with one of the best 3D printed costumes I’ve ever seen.
Zuk printed a life-sized Nano Suit from the game Crisis and the results are spectacular. It took over four grueling months to design, print, and build this suit all from the ground up. The printing alone took three weeks with an additional week added for post processing and finishing. Zuk tells SmartPrinting, “The project aims to show the possibilities offered by 3D printing, which is a dream to the real world. FDM 3D printer is not printing only a door handle or key ring, a much greater potential provided they have the right equipment and a little editing skills STL files.” Altogether, the print needed 25 kilograms of PLA filament, 2 liters of resin, 2 liters of paint, and 5 meters or 3M 3D carbon foil.
Printed on a ProCoPrint3D 3D Pinter, this model showcases just how far consumer 3D printing has come in the last few years. Just a couple of years ago, the idea of printing something on this scale would have required a cost-prohibitive and industrial scale machine. The ProCoPrint3D/ME printer used for this project had a build area or 450mmx400mmx550mm and is capable of printing at layer thicknesses ranging from 15-350 microns. It costs just $4,000, which is very reasonable by 3D printing standards.
One of the major problems with printing objects at this scale is warping. So, in addition to printing on a ProCoPrint3D 3D Printer, the suit was also printed using ProCoPrint3D’s PROGLU3D PLA-Cold adhesive, a polymer-based glue designed specifically to work with PLA and FLEX to help avoid warping. Zuk says that he designed this glue for trouble with adhesion, saying that “PROGLU3D PLA-Cold is a novelty and the world’s first adhesive for printing on a cold table.”
Christopher Zuk is the founder of ProCoPrint3D and, together with his partners, the Belgium-based company has been releasing a variety of innovative products related to 3D Printing. ProCoPrint3D is definitely a company to keep an eye out for. Check them out at procoprint3d.com. This full-sized suit isn’t the only prop they’ve printed, so be sure to browse their other large-scale cosplay accessories and costumes, too.
