I received an announcement about a “world’s largest 3D print” and had to take a look at it.
I’m generally very skeptical about this type of announcement, as they tend to be exaggerated marketing announcements that do not really extend the technology. Stunts, basically.
This one had a different twist, however: it was accompanied by an official Guinness World Record certification. I hadn’t seen that previously, and wondered what exactly that could mean.
The world record is officially for “Largest 3D-printed structure (volume)”, with a specific amount of 13.75 cubic meters. I wasn’t aware that GWR tracked 3D printed feats, so I did a search and found quite a number (374) items, including:
- Largest 3D printed boat
- Most 3D printed printer
- Smallest 3D-printed billboard
- Largest 3D-printed skeleton
- Largest solid 3D-printed item
- Tallest freestanding 3D printed tower
- Longest 3D printed non-assembled piece
You get the idea, there are literally hundreds of these records. Many of them are “First 3D printed XYZ”, and I presume there are an infinite number of additional items that could fall into that category.
Some of the records are actually incorrect. For example, the “First 3D printed car” lists the Strati car from 2014, but in fact the first 3D printed car was the Urbee, completed in 2011 as we reported back then. I guess the record depends on who applies and who does not, putting all of them into question.
This particular record had an odd category: largest by volume? Who decided that was a record category? I looked into how this all works, and discovered that anyone can create a new record category.
It’s possible to sign up for a GWR account and then submit an application to “beat” an existing record, or suggest a new record. If the new record is accepted, then you’re automatically the record holder because no one else has done it before.
This seems to be the approach used by most applicants, as the list of 3D print records includes all kinds of really narrow categories. It’s pretty clear that most of the record holders have gained fame by creating a unique record, often ones that few others would even bother recreating.
Do applicants pay for these records? Yes and no. Anyone can apply, and it normally takes twelve weeks for applications to be processed. However, there is an optional “priority service”, which costs US$800 for applications and another US$650 for evidence review to speed things up to only five days. It’s very likely that many of the record holders have used this approach, including the ”Largest 3D-printed structure (volume)”.
On that record, it seems that the Myata restaurant in Dubai used a number of 3D-printed structures in its styling. It appears the 3D-printed elements act as visual dividers within a traditional building envelope.
So it’s not a single structure, but in fact a collection of large 3D-printed parts in an area. They’re not even contiguous, as you can see in the diagrams.
The parts were produced by Proto21, which apparently operated a 3D-print farm of some 150 desktop FFF 3D printers, as shown in this image. Proto21 explains:
“This enormous structure is 3D-printed with the 3D Printing Farm at Proto21 consisting of 150 FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) machines. The farm operates using a network of 3D printers, each capable of printing simultaneously, producing multiple parts at once. These machines work in a coordinated manner under a centralized management system, ensuring smooth workflow, optimized material usage, and minimal downtime. This world record highlights how 3D printing farms are revolutionizing the way we create large, complex, and customized designs efficiently.”
This seems a bit confusing, because clearly most of the parts could not have been produced on desktop machines, as they exhibit very coarse layer lines, as if they were actually produced using a wide extrusion nozzle.
In fact, their press images show a Caracol device producing some parts with the expected layer lines, yet this was not described in their press release.
While the result is pretty impressive, there are some questionable aspects to this announcement.
