Direct-metal laser sintering made the molds for this replica of the Frauenkirche church in Dresden.

German company SFM GmbH is showing how rapid prototyping technologies are finding niches in art and architecture. The company recently manufactured a mold of the Frauenkirche church in Dresden using direct-metal laser-sintering equipment from EOS GmbH, Munich, Germany.

SFM first designed a CAD model of the church in a 1:500 scale and then generated the mold tooling data in STL format. Next, EOS built the complicated tooling inserts using the DirectTool process on an EOSINT M 250 Xtended laser-sintering system with DirectMetal 50 material. SFM didn't polish the tooling inserts after laser sintering because it intended that the models have a stone-like surface.

Two companies, Friedrich & Sohn and Technoplast, were enlisted to make the final models, which were sold as souvenirs to finance the reconstruction of the church.