Landon Meier, president and creator at Hyperflesh, likes the nightmarish juxtaposition of face and body. With LulzBot 3D Printers, he has brought the production of his disturbingly realistic masks into the digital age, saving him time and thrusting his company into the spotlight with prominent media coverage after his first viral hit garnered over one million social media views.
“I went with LulzBot 3D Printers because of the large printable area and also the solid reputation of the company,” Meier said. “With current technology, I could successfully move away from traditional sculpting to computer 3D modeling and 3D printing.”
Once the intricate 3D modeling work is completed on the computer, Meier brings his Hyperflesh creations to life by using Cura LulzBot Edition and his LulzBot TAZ 3D Printer to print the negative molds of his masks. Filament such as nGen and PolyLite PLA is used, and good support structure and bed adhesion is critical.
“There’s a bit of a learning curve finding the right filament and settings for the job, but that’s to be expected with such a versatile machine,” Meier said. “Customer service and Internet support has been excellent, and my LulzBot TAZ 3D Printer has produced consistent and beautiful prints.”
The molds, which take approximately 60 hours each to 3D print, include NFL quarterback Tom Brady and political figures like United States President Donald Trump.
“I’m still very much learning the ins and outs of the technology, but I can say so far I’ve been very successful,” Meier said.
After the molds are 3D printed, Meier casts the silicone mask directly into them. Since the silicone is easily pulled away from the 3D printed mold, a limitless number of masks could hypothetically be made from a single mold.
To achieve incredible accuracy with his subjects, Meier then moves on to the finer details of painting and adding hair before arriving at a final mask that he sells starting at US$4,500 to various clients, including mask collectors, cosplayers, and others who enjoy the performance value of his work.
By optimizing his workflow with LulzBot 3D Printers, Meier has expanded his creative output and ventured into new projects that are sure to continue impressing his fans.
“3D computer modeling coupled with 3D printing has been a massive time saver,” Meier said. “Traditional methods were comparatively time prohibitive, allowing me only to explore one or two new designs a year. New technology has doubled my productivity.”
Explore Another Artistic Application with LulzBot 3D Printers ➡