3D printing brings replica of 12th-century chandelier back to Gloucester

Renishaw, the international engineering company, in collaboration with Gloucester Cathedral and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, recreated a replica of the Gloucester chandelier using metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology. The original chandelier is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, while the Renishaw-made replica will be on display at Gloucester Cathedral.

The chandelier is an extraordinary piece that showcases the skills of early 12th-century goldsmiths. An inscription on the base indicates that it was donated to St. Peter’s Cathedral, now Gloucester Cathedral, by Abbot Peter, who kept it between 1107 and 1113.

The geometry of the original chandelier, depicting a dense interweaving of foliage and fantastical creatures, was captured with a 3D laser scanner for reproduction. Renishaw then recreated the chandelier using additive manufacturing, using aluminum powder, layer by layer, on one of its RenAM 500Q multi-laser additive manufacturing (AM) systems. The replica has now been delivered to Gloucester Cathedral.

“Due to the complexity of the Gloucester chandelier, the only way to replicate it is through additive manufacturing,” explains Paul Govan, Renishaw’s head of customer training and facilitator of this heritage conservation project. “The chandelier is divided into three distinct sections, each with intricate ornamental decoration and a patina preserved for over 900 years. Using a 3D scanner, Renishaw reverse-engineered every aspect of the original chandelier’s design to recreate this historic masterpiece in all its original splendor.”

The choice of material was crucial to the manufacturing process: initial plans to use titanium models were abandoned in favor of the more malleable aluminum powder. Switching from titanium to aluminum powder allowed Renishaw engineers to more easily clean and finish the candlestick, allowing them to achieve the highest level of detail. The carefully selected materials also make the Gloucester candlestick special, as it is cast in a brass alloy with a rare, high silver content.

Thanks to 3D printing technology, visitors to the Cathedral will be able to reacquaint themselves with this spectacular piece of local history. The use of Renishaw’s innovative AM technology to recreate this work of 12th-century English art demonstrates the potential of this process to recover and reproduce complex treasures and antiquities.

Renishaw is the UK’s only manufacturer of metal additive manufacturing systems. For more information on Renishaw AM products, please visit http://www.renishaw.es/additive-manufacturing.