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This year’s Oscars trophies are set to have a twist based on the old and the new – the statuettes are set to be 3D-printed to mimic the design of those from the very first ceremony.
That was back in 1929, and now the design from that ceremony is being used to 3D print a mold around which the 2016 awards will be made. each one is hand cast in bronze and finished in 24-karat gold – so not your typical plastic-based 3D print then.
By its completion, the process to create the 50 statues needed for the ceremony – where Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to get his hands on one for the very first time – will have taken three months.
The finished product was created by scanning a 1929 statuette creating a mold. This mold is then filled with wax and coated in ceramic before being fired at 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. The wax melts and flows out of the mold, before it is then filled with molten bronze and cooled. the bronze is then removed and polished before being finished in gold.
President of the Academy Cheryl Boone Isaacs said of the new awards: “With the help of some 21st century technology, we’re able to honour the Oscars’ proud beginnings. The new statuette exemplifies impeccable craftsmanship and the enduring nature of art.”
