Project Partners

Delcam

The final statue will be made from more than 5,000 2-metre-square cast-bronze panels, aligned and secured to a vast civil engineering structure which will allow for expansion, contraction, construction and water drainage in order to survive the harsh and variable climate of India. Initial trials are underway which currently indicate the use of Delcam software in the following manufacturing phases:

1. Sculpture sign off

Over the past few years Peter & Denise Griffin have carefully constructed a sculpture using ancient scriptures and the wisdom of Buddhist masters such as Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who has carried on the wishes of Lama Thubten Yeshe, who initiated the planning of the statue. The 'master' sculpture of Maitreya Buddha, once complete, will need to be Reverse Engineered to create a surface model from which the vast 152-metre statue can be manufactured.

2. Reverse Engineering

Under the direction of Derek Smart, the project's engineering coordinator, the master statue will be scanned using GOM's ATOS scanner. This non-contact scanning system will capture millions of points describing the shape of the statue. These points can be used to export a triangle model.

Delcam's CopyCAD can then be used to build surface patches over the triangle model creating a smooth CAD model from the underlying scanned data. Tight tolerances will be used in the Reverse Engineering process to ensure that small anomalies are not created in the final CAD model which would be 100 times bigger than the master sculpture. Once complete this CAD model of the statue will be the master data for the downstream manufacturing processes.

3. Panel Identification and Development

The statue consists of over 4000 bronze panels of around 2 metres square. From the Reverse Engineered Surface model Delcam's PowerSHAPE will be used to crop panels from the data, create a wall thickness, add expansion joints (if necessary), add inspection targets, and other civil engineering features. Each detailed panel will be a unique 'batch of one'. 4. Toolpath Creation & Machining

Once each unique panel has been developed in PowerSHAPE, Delcam's PowerMILL will be used to create toolpaths over each of the 4,000+ panels. The Casting Development Centre (based in Sheffield) are currently testing different methodologies for the creation of the sand casting moulds. Currently the preferred process entails machining the mould cavities directly into solid blocks of 'green sand'. 5. Panel Inspection

Each bronze panel will need to be inspected against the original CAD model to ensure that it is correct to tolerance before the panel is offered up to the civil engineering structure of the statue. Delcam's PowerINSPECT will be used to measure key points on the panel against the nominal CAD model. This process will ensure that time is not invested downstream only to find errors in individual panels. Currently it is proposed that modules of panels are created at the foot of the statue, consisting of nine panels attached to a sub-frame, which can then be hoisted up and attached to the underlying civil engineering structure. Potentially PowerINSPECT will be used in conjunction with a civil engineering laser tracker or theodolite instrument to check the panel modules as they are offered up to the statue.

4. Decoration

Delcam's ArtCAM offers the project some unique functionality. The building on which the Maitreya Buddha is seated will have ornate patterns both on the outside and inside. ArtCAM allows artists to create 3D reliefs of 2D sketches, scriptures and even photographs.

Visit Delcam's website at www.delcam.com