3D printed moon 'Enceladus' for Triennale Milano
3D printed art installation for Triennale Milano 'Unknown Unknowns'
Enceladus is a 3D printed art installation designed by Irene Stracuzzi and 3D printed by WASP Hub Mantova (Arche 3D) for the 23rd International Exhibition of Triennale Milano, headed by Stefano Boeri, and curated by Ersilia Vaudo.
The project explores Enceladus, a moon of Saturn that is believed to have an underground ocean beneath its icy surface, raising the possibility of life existing there. This has sparked curiosity in both scientists and artists about what its hidden world might look like.
3D printing the moon 'Enceladus' with 3MT HDP
Enceladus was 3D printed by WASP Hub Mantova (Arche 3D) using WASP 3MT HDP, the large scale pellet 3D printer.
The digital model was provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and then divided and worked on for printing. There are 12 pieces in total: 5 segments consisting of two pieces that are approximately 1 meter and 0.5 meter in height, welded with hot reinforcements to make transportation and assembly easier, and 2 removable pieces held in place by magnets, so they could be opened to load a smoke machine inside.
The total width is 3 meters and the total height is 1.5, and the material used is PLA INGEO white masterbatch. The total weight is between 150 and 200 kg. The total printing time is about 250 hours.
Photos by WASP Hub Mantova (Arche 3D)
Summary sheet
Piece name: Enceladus
Printer: 3MT HDP
Material: PLA INGEO with white masterbatch
Designed by: Irene Stracuzzi
Printed by: WASP Hub Mantova (Arche 3D)
Exhibition: Unknown Unknowns, An Introduction to Mysteries, Triennale Milano, from July 15 2022 to December 11 2022
Number of pieces: 12
Printing time: 250 hrs
Size: 3x1,5 m
Large scale 3D printing
Enceladus was created with the 3MT 3D printer. This is the best printer for creating medium-large pieces thanks to its wide printing bed area of 1 meter in diameter.
3D printed installation for MUSE - Science Museum
3D Printing, Art and Biotechnology at MUSE Trento
From 30 November 2022 to 8 January 2023 it will be possible to visit the 3D printed installation 'Cloroplastic' for the MUSE exhibition “BioArt. Ricerche d’avanguardia e immaginario artistico” at Palazzo delle Albere, as part of the European project ACDC – Artificial Cells with Distributed Cores.
WASP participated in the project by creating a 3D printed installation using transparent materials of plant origin.
Piece name: Cloroplastic
Printer: 3MT HDP
Material: Recycled transparent PLA of plant origin
Printed with: WASP Hub Milano (Superforma)
Cloroplastic: 3D printing of a transparent biopolymer of plant origin
Cloroplastic consists of a collective work inspired by nature and capable of reacting to stimuli from the environment, the result of the process of sharing scientific knowledge that took place during the Open Talks&Labs organized by MUSE as part of the progetto ACDC.
The outer membrane was printed in transparent PLA recycled with WASP 3MT HDP from the WASP Hub in Milan, Superforma.
The outer membrane of the structure was made of recycled transparent PLA of vegetable origin using WASP 3MT HDP, the 3D printer optimized for large-scale printing.
The work is inspired by chloroplasts, organelles present in plant cells where chlorophyll photosynthesis takes place. It was built in a participatory way, through the use of digital manufacturing techniques and biotechnological laboratories.
In Cloroplastic, visitors who interact with the work will provide the light needed by plants to activate the photosynthesis process. The installation hosts Impatiens walleriana plants planted by the participants in the Open Labs, through the use of micropropagation techniques.
"This installation - explains Lucilla Galatà, project coordinator for MUSE - wants to show the results of a path we have undertaken in the museum as part of the ACDC project, to involve the community in research on the border between natural and artificial, living and non-living living, scientific research and artistic practices. The ultimate goal is to invite the public to look beyond these dichotomies and to inspire new connections and reflections”.
PLA pellet
The material used to print the project is transparent recycled PLA of plant origin. Pellet printing has many advantages: You can use recycled plastic, and It's cheaper and faster than filament material.
Discover our pellet materials.
Large scale 3D printing
For this project it has been used the 3MT 3D printer. It permits to print big pieces until 1 meter of diameter and it is really used for installations or to create walls. The procedure is to print in pieces and then assembly them, building the entire structure.