3D Printing Process of the Flatiron Building

The CityGML objects generated can easily be transformed into the STL (Standard Triangle/Tesselation Language) format, which can be used for 3D printing. The 3D print is executed using a 3D Printer called 'Form 2'.
The 3D printer creates a model using the so called stereolithography technology by producting parts in a layer by layer fashion. A laser selectively illuminates the transparent bottom of a tank filled with a liquid photo-polymerizing resin. The solidified resin is progressively dragged up by a lifting platform. After the printing process the supporting structures can be removed. In this case the model was made of 2557 layers resulting in a printing time of 17 hours.