Plated 3D printed Macaw skull

Here's a test I did for work of a copper plated 3D printed Macaw skull- enjoy!

 

There was a 3D scan available online, but I had to do quite a bit of cleanup before it was ready to print.

 

Wow, didn't know there'd be such a good response!! It was a stereolithography machine (SLA). I did very little cleanup, as I coated it with a clear coat prior to sending to the plater in order to test their ability to plate over a clear coating (which eliminates a LOT of cleanup!). They plated in copper, as it's the base coat for any other metal, and polished it before sending back. I had to clear coat as copper discolors with the natural oils in our skin. What I could do is add transparent color to the clear coat, sort of a "candy apple" effect, and do the beak/skull in different colors. They also have the ability to plate in different metals/polish them, but the cost can be pretty prohibitive. I'm experimenting with having them do the plating, then tumble the unpolished parts to get the shine. I'm also sending files out to be printed directly in metal, to see how the costs compare- so far, looks like printing in metal is more cost effective. If others are really interested, I'll post progress pics. I have a lot of skull files I can print, and just got a scanner so I'm always adding to the collection. Let me know if you're interested!
Thanks!

 

I believe it was from an external scanner.