Our story begins sixty-six million years ago, when a top predator of the Cretaceous period sadly died.
Its remains were discovered by Naturalis in Montana in 2013, millions of years later.
Although the T-Rex's skeleton was remarkably well-preserved, some parts were missing - including the left leg.
This is not uncommon, as many animals begin to scavenge a dinosaur's body when it dies, and some parts simply disappear over time.
To help complete the missing parts of the 13-meter-long T-Rex skeleton, Naturalis turned to 3D printing for some elements.
Due to the incredible accuracy and flexibility of the Ultimaker 2+, the enormous skeleton was produced with even greater detail than initially expected.
In fact, because they are so realistic, the printed parts are painted a slightly different color from the actual bones to ensure they are not confused with the 3D printed sections.
A New Way to Model
More traditional methods for completing partial skeletons involve using styrofoam to create bones, which requires highly skilled craftsmanship to achieve realistic results,
or using other nearly identical fossils - you can imagine how difficult it is to find a bone that perfectly matches in size!
T. rex bone Scan bone 3D printed bone
Regarding this bone, Valentin Vanhecke, a Dutch scanning wizard from 4Visualization, created a 3D scan of the right leg for the museum, and
used the Ultimaker to print a mirrored version: perfectly restoring and matching the left leg. What a clever idea!
The bones are currently being painted, and will be integrated with the skeleton in the coming months. There is no doubt that the result is truly astonishing!
How to Print a T-Rex
If you're reading this blog, and it has awakened your inner paleontologist, yearning to own a piece of a T-Rex,
you are in luck! We will be hosting a "How to Print a T-Rex" guided tour in the near future.
Image source: Naturalis Biodiversity Center
If you haven't already marked your calendar, we highly recommend visiting the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in September 2016 to see these amazing
colossal creatures brought to life!
Original link: https://ultimaker.com/en/stories/20312-3d-printing-a-tyrannosaurus-rex-skeleton