26 Jul 2014
3D printed skeleton of Richard III on display at new visitor centre
Visitors can now see a 3D printed replica of King Richard III’s skeleton, created at Loughborough, as part of the exciting new King Richard III visitor centre open in Leicester.
The University of Leicester announced in February that the skeleton found last year in the city by its team of archaeologists was that of Richard III, whose final resting place remained hidden for hundreds of years.
Experts from Loughborough’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, led by Professor Russ Harris, were invited to make a replica of the king’s skeleton, using the latest 3D printing techniques.
Scans of the actual remains taken by the Leicester Royal Infirmary were sent to Loughborough, where they were transformed into a 3D computer model. Laser sintering was then used to create a physical replica of the skeleton. Laser sintering is a technique that uses a high power laser to fuse small particles of materials, in this case plastic, into a mass that has a three-dimensional shape.
Read the full news article for more.