The war has become a nightmare come true for the entire Ukrainian population since the end of February. Marked by explosions and fighting, over 1.5 million Ukrainians have already been able to flee. However, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave their home country because they have been conscripted into military service. For all those who cannot and do not want to leave their home country during this time, countless fundraising campaigns have already been set up in order to be able to provide these people with the most important things for survival. As a rule, these appeals for donations are launched by charitable foundations – but private companies and individuals are also increasingly appearing. A group of artists specializing in the production of car-related art using 3D printers also wants to help those affected in Ukraine.
That group of artists also includes freelance artist Jonny Ambrose, who has long used additive manufacturing to create his intricate vehicle-inspired sculptures. In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, they have all set up a charitable initiative to support the people of Ukraine: “Auto Artists for Ukraine”. The group has decided to sell their unique 3D printed artworks via social media and donate 100% of the proceeds to the UK Red Cross initiative, Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Thus one would like to make one’s own contribution to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Ambrose explains that the equivalent of around €4,800 was achieved with the sale of the works from the 3D printer in the first two days. “Over 25 artists have agreed to donate artwork, from very affordable prints to higher priced items, some of which will be auctioned. We want most of the works to be affordable at a set price so that everyone can participate,” the artist says happily.
British artist Jonny Ambrose has been using 3D printing for five years (Image: Jonny Ambrose/ Porsche AG)
3D printed art for charity
For about five years, Nick Ambrose has been using the advantages of additive manufacturing to create his art. Unlike photography or painting, his art not only benefits from the highest level of precision, freedom of design and the amazement of art enthusiasts, but also from the ease of producing special parts. Whereas Ambrose used to use milling machines to produce the lattice structures of his automobile sculptures, he now relies on 3D printing. Because this is where conventional and traditional applications fail, as they are hardly able to create strong, light sculptures with special geometries. The grid elements play an essential role in his sculptures, which were often inspired by well-known automobile manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW or Blue Bird. So it’s no wonder that its production has to be as precise and efficient as possible. According to the artist, this is the only way to save material without the entire object losing stability or integrity.
Ambrose also used additive manufacturing to create his latest sculpture, the ‘Skeletale 917’: “Beyond creating grids per se, I use 3D printing because I like the aesthetics of some of the polished surfaces.” In this one For him, the technologies of selective laser sintering and multi-jet fusion in particular have an immensely beautiful appearance. He is assisted in the 3D printing process by 3DPRINTUK, who were also instrumental in making the largest grid that Ambrose would later use for his art sculpture. With a total length of 40 cm, the object had to be correctly aligned for printing in the build chamber so that it could then be removed without any problems.
The Skeletale 917 model was inspired by the Porsche 917k Le Mans (Image: Jonny Ambrose)
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*Cover photo credit: Jonny Ambrose