Aug 25, 2016 | By Tess

Stargate fans everywhere will be jumping onto flights to Belgium once they hear this latest story! Not only has the Musée royal de Mariemont in Morlanwelz, Belgium opened its latest exhibition dedicated to the sci-fi franchise, called De Stargate aux comics. Les dieux égyptiens dans la culture geek (1975-2015)—or From Stargate to Comics. The Egyptian Gods in the geek culture—but a team from Belgian 3D printing studio VIGO Universal have created an actual, full-scale Stargate portal prop using 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC milling.

Activated Stargate from SG-1

The impressive Stargate, which is the interplanetary transport system from the Stargate series, took more than 1000 working hours to create, which is not wholly surprising when you see the detail, scale, and overall accuracy of the 3D printed structure. Made up of over 2000 3D printed parts and 10,000 cuttings, the huge Stargate portal is truly a wonder to behold—I almost feel like it could actually transport me to another world.

Namur, Belgium-based VIGO Universal used a number of technologies to realize the Stargate’s construction, and fortunately they were well equipped to do so. With a Replication Center equipped with a Flashforge 3D printer farm, a Marchant Dice milling cutter, and a laser cutter from Thunder Laser, the dedicated team was able to bring the project together. The studio, which has been operating for over 5 years now undertook the Stargate project in collaboration with Arnaud Quertinmont and Bertrand Federinov from the Musée royal.

The Stargate itself, which measures nearly 7 meters in diameter, has been expertly painted, assembled and installed in front of the Musée royal de Mariemont and will remain installed until the end of the Stargate exhibition on November 20th, meaning that there are still a few months left to behold the amazing portal. In fact, according to VIGO Universal, visitors will soon be able to activate the portal through a smartphone app!

The Musée royal’s exhibition might also be worth checking out as it delves into the relationship between Egyptian mythology and geek culture with a notable emphasis on Stargate (fans will remember that the first Stargate was found in Giza in 1928). Aside from the amazing 3D printed portal, the exhibition also features a number of set pieces, costumes, and props from the 1994 Stargate film.

If you don’t think you’ll be making it to Belgium to see the exhibition, you should at least check out VIGO Universal’s video, which shows the amount of work, effort, and time that went into the production process. It might even take you a million light years from home!

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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Ignacio wrote at 8/27/2016 5:03:05 PM:*Mostly laser cut.Colin wrote at 8/27/2016 12:35:56 PM:I LOVE stargate!



