The Illinois MakerLab was commissioned to make a replica of the Nobel Medal in Chemistry for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To make the replica, Illinois MakerLab poured epoxy material in a silicone mold made from the original medallion. In this process, the mold is reusable and more replicas can be created in the future. Through the use of 3D printing and flexible material, Illinois MakerLab was able to print a portion of the mold that made the two halves align. 

William Casey Jones and Adam Sporluck, two student gurus at Illinois MakerLab, worked on this project. William shared that “The project was unique because it really wasn’t a 3D printing project directly. We used a different method (silicone mold and resin) to create a replica, whereas usually we would scan a model or create a model from scratch and use 3D printing to produce it.”

This method came with many challenges: William and Adam had to get the right colors using paint, other methods proved to be a trial and error process, and they had to work through the learning curve. 

The project raised questions about the use of 3D printing in the mold making process. Since there was no existing 3D model of the medallion, it would have been possible to use a scanning technology or standard 3D modeling practices to make the mold. 3D printing can be useful in small projects like this because it improves efficiency and creates a more precise result. 

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