3D printed lithophane

Abstract

Lithophane is a transparent plate on which, with the help of the different thickness of this plate, an image is formed. Light that passes through the plate from the back side of the plate shows a clear gray image on the front side of this plate. The strength of the transparency is determined by the material of the plate and the light source coming from behind. Without backlighting, the subject on the lithophane cannot be seen. Lithophanes in the form of porcelain vases were discovered in China long before the technique made its way to Europe. In Europe the origins of lithophanes date back to the early 19th century in France. Europeans perfected the technique and also used it to reproduce famous portraits and paintings. Today, the production of lithophanes is experiencing a renaissance with the advent of 3D printing technologies. In the research paper, the process of making lithophane using 3D printing is presented. First, 3D printing technologies are presented, more specifically the technology of extrusion of materials or thermoplastics modelled by joining layers. Then, the materials used for 3D printing with the mentioned technology are presented. Next, the procedures for 3D acquisition and reproduction of reliefs are described, and at the end, the lithophane itself is presented. In the practical part, the whole process of making lithophane is presented. For the creation of the lithophane model, the 3D modelling program Blender was used, and the lithophanes in physical form were made with the Creality Ender 3 3D printer using PLA filament. Droplet and electrophotographic printers were also used to produce colour lithophanes. The influence of LED and halogen lamps on the final impression of lithophane reproduction was also compared. Lithophanes produced with different print settings and different colour reproductions were compared. The results showed that the best wall thickness is one millimetre, and the layer thickness is the smallest value allowed by the printer. The orientation of the lithophane during printing has a great influence on the final image of the design. The best orientation is upright. Color reproduction is best when using electrophotographic printing in combination with acrylic varnish. Lighting research showed that LED is better than halogen lamps. The finished lithophane was of satisfactory quality and could be used as a decoration for the home or to organize an art exhibition with a large number of coloured lithophanes reproducing various artworks and motifs.