A photo of Formlabs Form 2 3D printer. (Photo : YouTube)
After conquering the space with 3D-printed tools on board the International Space Station, 3D printers look set to disrupt another out-of-this-world dimension--that of the dead. A studio called Shanghai Longhua Funeral Home wants to give damaged corpses a makeover using 3D-printed body parts.
According to a report from China Radio International, the process requires "successive layers of material to create an object which can be almost any shape or size." A 3D model can be used to copy the exact body feature, while different raw materials can be chosen from to make the outcome feel more natural.
"Sometimes bodies are brought to the funeral home that have been damaged or are incomplete in some way. The 3D printing technique enables a more accurate and easier repair process," the report said.
The funeral studio claims that it takes an average of five to 10 hours to copy a human face, as opposed to the one-week time frame using the conventional method.
In an interview with Shanghai Daily, Liu Fengming of the Shanghai Funeral and Interment Service Center, said that "it is difficult for relatives to see incomplete faces or bodies of their loved ones when they attend memorial services, and makeup cannot always sufficiently repair them."
"The 3D-printing technology can be used to restore the appearance of bodies with about a 95-percent success rate," said Liu.
A face repair is available for 4,000 to 5000 yuan, or about $620 to $735.
This service is said to be the first of its kind in China. It is part of the city's execution of the Five-Year Plan, which aims to improve the country's science and technology sector.
This development comes as no surprise since China is known for being a powerhouse in 3D printer manufacturing.
Separately, IDC projects that the 3D printing industry will increase at a CAGR of 27 percent through 2019.
