Now that’s what you call a mugshot!
Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre hosted an event to celebrate World Metrology Day and ran a number of competitions for those visiting the Firth Street site.
Tom Wright, innovations officer for Sheffield-based healthcare services firm Medilink, was one of the lucky winners and was invited back recently to claim his prize – a drinking mug with a 3D image of his own face.
Paul Tallon, consultant designer at 3M BIC, scanned Tom’s face using a special hand-held scanner and from the information gleaned was able to produce a drinking mug with a 3D image of Tom’s face on the side.
The technique used is called laser sintering – where a laser is used as a power source to fire powdered material at points in space defined by a 3D model, binding the material together to create a solid structure.
It is typically used to create 3D structures such as machinery components and prototypes of products.
A spokeswoman for 3M BIC said: “The resemblance is amazing! Adding that personal touch to a company’s marketing materials has just gone up a level. Forget photos on a business card – get a mug with your face on!”
The theme for World Metrology Day – celebrated in more than 80 countries – was Measurements and Light. The 3M BIC’s “open house” provided a platform to highlight the key role light and optical technologies play on our daily lives.
The event was supported by Huddersfield University’s metrology research centre and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which has a presence on Innovation Avenue at the 3M BIC.
