A Swedish creative studio has used Z Corporation 3D printing technology to create a stunningly detailed 3D architectural model that is helping promote Stockholmsarenan until the 30,000-seat sports and entertainment arena is completed in 2013.

Thanks to the accuracy and resolution of the ZPrinter® 450 owned by the WE DO studio, virtually every detail in the architects’ 3D digital model of the arena is represented in the physical model, a cross-section that includes 7,400 highly detailed seats, each 4 mm wide.

Said Patrik Lindberg, owner of WE DO, Stockholm, ‟Until the arena is complete, this ZPrinted model is helping generate the excitement for the arena, helping the owner and operator rent the space, sell seat licenses, plan events and entice sponsors – in other words, make the business a success.”

The 1.2-meter-by-1.2-meter model is the centerpiece of an information pavilion offering a multimedia experience of the project. Both the architect and prospective patrons are ‟blown away” by the piece, said Lindberg.

Much as a document printer converts a word-processing file into a business letter, 3D printing converts 3D digital data into a physical model you can hold in your hands. ‟We chose to ZPrint this model because it creates a model faster, more affordably and more accurately than handcrafting,” said Lindberg. ‟We worked toward a tight deadline and printed different sections of the model nonstop for two weeks. It would have taken us at least three times more time and money to make this by hand, and the result would have been far less detailed. In other words, ZPrinting made this project a success.”

Lindberg, a trained industrial designer, uses ZPrinting constantly to create product prototypes for design clients and models for architects. Although Stockholmsarenan was ZPrinted in classic architectural white, clients are increasingly asking for color, according to Lindberg. ‟Companies are becoming enlightened on the possibilities for rapid prototyping,” he said. ‟Color, in addition to speed and cost, are why we selected the ZPrinter.”

Z Corporation
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