Uncategorized

Ultimaker is 3D Printing a Full-Sized Elephant in the Room to Protest Animal Abuse

The metaphorical idiom about an elephant being in the room and no one noticing it is used to indicate an obvious truth that everyone is choosing to ignore. In the case of World Animal Protection’s latest campaign for World Elephant Day, the elephants themselves, and the abuse deriving from excessive tourist joyrides, are that obvious truth that society is too often ignoring.

Schiphol Airport Pavilion with Olifant 3D printing pop up

To make the proverbial elephant even more evident, World Animal Protecion (WSPA) has teamed up with Dutch 3D printer manufacturer Ultimaker and Dutch artist Joris van Tubergen to 3D print a life sized elephant – or olifant in Dutch – inside a pop-up pavilion in front of the main entrance at Schiphol’s Airport.

olifant 3D printing by ultimaker and World Animal Protection

The installation, which can be viewed live through three different online webcams on the World Animal Protection website, is drawing attention to elephants being forced to undergo unnatural workloads that cause them pain, stress and suffering thus urging people to stop riding elephants for tourism purposes.

3D-printed-elephant“This project shows that 3D printing is not just for hobbyists or commercial purposes,” Ultimaker CEO, Siert Wijnia, commented, “It can emphasize benefaction and the importance of a cause like World Elephant Day. We are very pleased that World Animal Protection chose Ultimaker as their 3D printing partner. The very versatile Ultimaker Original is a great fit for this project.”

upside down Ultimaker 3D printers printing olifant

The “olifant” is being 3D printed using 5 Ultimaker Original 3D printers, which – along with their print heads  – have been flipped upside down so that they are able to print columns as high as 2.5 meters. Everyone who pledges (only Netherlands residents) will have their name 3D printed on the elephant with a special font called “Elephont”, which makes the writing look like elephant skin.

ultimaker upside 3D printing olifant for World Animal Protection

The project should be completed by next August 31st. Until that day, it will be very difficult for travelers passing through Schiphol to pretend there is no 3D printed olifant in the pavilion.