3M Innovation Center, Washington, DC
|
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, known as 3M, opened a center in Washington, DC, and wanted the lobby of the building to highlight five of the areas of products it is known for: transportation, energy, healthcare, consumer, construction.
Each area had 9' tall acrylic panels that were 3/4" thick and printed on both sides. Each panel had 3M materials used in new ways that required extreme precision in both printing and assembling, in addition to coordination of the printing and fabrication process. I worked closely with the project manager and printer to get sample prints of each material, ensure precision in the digital files, and communicate clearly with the designers. |
The intro panel to Transportation, printed on material normally used for traffic signs.
|
Fig. 1 - These images are printed on both first and second surface for a layered effect.
Fig. 2 - Printing on first surface with 3M Fasara material applied on second surface.
Fig. 3 - A panel, printed both first and second surface, with interactive canister element.
|
There were about 29 acrylic panels to be printed / fabricated in the whole project and three spare panels, so there was little room for error. Additionally, each 3M material had their own challenges. For example, the intro panel to the Transportation section was printed on reflective material used for traffic signs. The reflection enables better visibility at night but also confuses the laser in the printing machine. The solution was to use an older machine without a laser.
Other questions that arose:
|