Wayne Harridge wrote:
> Completely OT except the image was made with an E-510 & Zuiko Digital 50/2.
>
> I bought this glass ornament/paperweight at the local op shop. It stands
> about 80mm high. Inside it has two 3-D flowers which look like they are
> "etched". The flowers probably have 10mm of glass (minimum) around them.
> Can anyone suggest how it might be made ?
>
> http://lrh.structuregraphs.com/images/20080315-A-060-a.jpg
>
> http://lrh.structuregraphs.com/images/20080315-A-060-b.jpg
>
Yep -- it's done with computers and lasers. If that's a replica of a
real flower, then the original flower is scanned with a 3-d
scanner/digitizer. Otherwise, it's a 3-d digital model created
completely in a computer.
That data is then fed into a laser etcher, which consists of 2
tightly-focused lasers in an X-Y configuration firing into the crystal
block. Where they intersect, the heat created causes a tiny fracture in
the crystal, making a visible "pixel". The lasers continue scanning
through the block until the entire digital file is "etched" into the
middle of the block.
I LOVE those things. At first, they were scarce and very expensive
($100-$200 each), and only 2-D. And the only etching lasers came from
Russia.
Then other companies learned how to make the cutters, and the 3-D
technology developed, and now you can find them at truck stops for $12.
I have about a half-dozen of them, including one of the Queen Mary,
the original one my wife and I got from Disneyworld in 2000 with our
faces in 2-D, and one with Brian from the animated series "Family Guy".
--
Paul Braun
Valparaiso, IN
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins
"Enjoy every sandwich." - Warren Zevon
"The Fountain of Youth is a state of mind." - The Ides of March
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