Mimaki USA (Suwanee, GA) has announced a collaboration with the Smithsonian to place a Mimaki 3DUJ-553 full-color 3D printer in the Smithsonian Exhibits’ (SIE) studios, located in Landover, MD, and part of the Smithsonian Institution.
SIE collaborates with museums and offices throughout the institution and the federal government to help them plan, produce, develop, and design exhibits, and produce models for public programs and research purposes.
The SIE team s first project with the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 printer is to create full color 3D printed models of viruses that are enlarged for hands-on engagement with visitors in the Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World exhibition currently on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Future possible projects for the full color 3D printer include:
- Models of collection objects used for hands-on educational activities with the public
- Tactile display elements for low-vision or blind visitors such as raised-line maps to aid with wayfinding
For more information, visit mimakiusa.com.