by Pat Nelson

Thanks to a generous Discovery Grant, the areas of metals, sculpture, ceramics and electronic art will acquire a 3-dimensional printer for rapid prototyping. With rapid prototyping, 21^st-century artists have another production method at their disposal in addition to the classic techniques of carving, molding and fabrication.

Discovery is a women's collaborative philanthropic group established to support projects and programs at Ball State University.  Discovery members are volunteers who pool annual contributions and work with university administrators to select the projects they support.  Since 2003 discovery has made awards to Ball state projects totaling more than $340,000. 

Rapid prototyping is a computer-controlled process that prints objects in three dimensions, layer by layer. A form is designed using standard computer 3-D modeling software, or it may be the scanned image of an existing object.   The digital information is translated into a special language that slices the design into hundreds or thousands of exceedingly thin layers; each layer is then printed, building up a volume. The resulting printed object may be the final statement, but that object can also be molded, cast or otherwise finalized into a product using the more traditional methods of production.

Rapid prototyping allows the designer to make complex objects in a much shorter period of time than before.  Experimentation and research will be enhanced, as it will be possible to print out numerous variations of a single form.  Small macquettes of larger sculptures can be printed so the artist can study the idea in the round before committing time and resources to a full-scale form. 

Rapid prototyping is already reshaping the design world.  It is becoming the technique that everyone creating 3-dimensional objects must become familiar with, much as Photoshop has transformed the 2D world.  It is emerging as an essential tool in both fine art and industrial applications.  Using this technology, Ball State students will continue to develop the cutting-edge skills so necessary for their future professional lives.