The initial stage starts with the artistic creation of the model to be reproduced. The Roman style bust sculpted in stone is digitalized by NUB3D company. The 3D digital system is successfully used in the historical and artistic heritage preservation. Such technology, solely manufactured and designed in Spain by NUB3D and initially used in the industrial field, is going through a significant growth due to requests by restorers, sculptors, museums and archaeologists for the study, restoration and reproduction of replicas of original pieces. By means of this new technology the reduction of the process is considerably reduced and the absolute accuracy of the original piece is maintained without damaging it.
NUB3D applies to the artistic world its own experience obtained from the measurement field through the Triple Art system based on the SIDIO technology. This is a transportable system adapted to the restrictive museum and cultural good conservation rules.
Once the original bust is scanned, the CAD/CAM software from TEBIS will translate the complex surfaces and volumes to the language of the CNC machines manufactured by BERMAQ.
TEBIS is a German company specialized in conceptual, formal and functional design, as well as the integral development of pieces and mechanical products requiring precision from the concept to the production stage. In this project, TEBIS has carried out the model creation of the CAD 3D. Few companies are reliable like is TEBIS, on designing, processing, correcting and repairing complex geometries by CAD/CAM. Thanks to the knowledge and the features of the Bermaq controls, TEBIS has been capable of creating the machine file in ISO code, this has allowed the final milling of the methacrylate block provided by DEGUSSA EVONIK.
DEGUSSA EVONIK is a German multinational chemistry company. It is a company in continuous development of new materials. Actually, DEGUSSA was the company who discovered and improved the acrylic materials. The productive ability of DEGUSSA allowed the manufacture of PLEXIGLASS methacrylate high-sized cube used as a raw material. It has to be taken into account that this material was a sine qua non requirement for the project. If this had not been like this, it would have been impossible to reach the levels of final transparency. The material resistance was another point to be highlighted as during the milling process big efforts are generated and this creates fibrilar pressures and it put the rigidity and fragility of the material to be milled on the test.
In order to reach the required transparency levels, it was EURACRYL –company specialized in tools for the machining of acrylic materials- who developed a series of natural diamond milling tools. The rough-machining of the acrylic material was carried out by means of a special milling tool to avoid the transmission of possible vibrations to the material as this is a productive operation in which reducing the milling time is the priority. The superfine finish and polishing were carried out with milling tools of different diameters.
Together with all elements at its disposal, BERMAQ finally machined the bust on its machine type CR. The CR machine exceeded the required stability to allow a superfine finish standing out the transparency on the raw material. The movements of the head, containing 5 axes, allowed it to work around all the small contours polishing the acrylic block with the milling tools positioned on the best angles of attack. The suction system patented by BERMAQ for its heads of 5 axes machines allows the working area to be kept clean avoiding any of the chips from the milling marking or the polished surface. The final outcome was the first acrylic bust all over the world on scale 1:1 machined and polished on a CNC machine, being an accurate copy from the original artistic model.
All the companies who have taken part of this project have the will of extending the above mentioned data. For further information, you can get in touch with them in the following Web Sites:
Digitizing Systems – www.nub3d.com
CAD/CAM Systems – www.tebis.de
Milling CNC Machines – www.bermaq.com
Tools for PMMA – www.euracryl.de
Plexiglas PMMA Raw Material – www.degussa.de
