Featured project:

For the David H. Koch Hall of the Human Origins at the National Museum of Natural History, OEC model-makers digitally scanned artifacts of human bones, a software program recording every bump and curve with minute precision. The data was then sent to our 3-D printer, which reads the information and lays down thin layer upon thin layer of plaster powder, gradually "building" a 3-D reproduction. With this technology, we have the ability to create historically and scientifically accurate replicas without even touching the precious originals!

The Model Shop at OEC is the only one of its kind in the Smithsonian—a full-service model shop that produces replicas, dioramas, mannequins, touchable 3-D maps, object mounts and brackets, and more. We make everything from skulls to fake mountains, and we devise interactives that keep museum visitors engaged.

Our model makers and artists represent many different skill sets, and we can now claim some of the newest technology available. Using laser and other scanning methods, we can digitally capture the precise shape and size of an object and produce an exact copy (or a larger or smaller version) with our 3-D printer, CNC router, or CNC milling machine. With these techniques, combined with more traditional methods, we can make or reproduce almost anything!

Read more on our blog!