Innovate Yourself – 3D Printing

Since collaborating with the Nishkam Centre to create Handsworth Innovation Hub we are so proud of how far we’ve come and the audiences we have inspired.

Handsworth Innovation Hub is brought to you by Taran3D & The Nishkam Centre, a joint collaboration to bring tech & innovation to our local communities. Our combined core values of nurturing and supporting individuals to access excellence in tech helped us develop this initiative as a safe space for our community to educate and innovate themselves on all things tech. 

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Sri Hazur Sahib Frame Digital Design

In early 2018 I was contacted by Inderjit Singh Mann from Abu Dhabi regarding an old frame from Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib which is situated in the main complex. The frame houses the main painting depicting the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. The painting of Guru Gobind Singh ji was painted by Hari Singh from Amritsar (circa 1900) who created many masterpieces including a painting of Rabindranath Tagore which presently resides at the Parliment House. The ornate frame was carved out of wood and had become worn and warped over the years due to excessive heat and wear. Inderjit Singh expressed a desire to take on this seva(service) and enlisted my expertise in creating an accurate replica of the frame.

The frame houses the main painting of the 10th Master, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in the main complex

As the original frame was severely warped and damaged we decided that the best way forward would be to replace the frame in its entirety whilst maintaining the original features.

Stage one of the process was to 3D scan the original frame, which was carried out by a local company in India. Once it was scanned and I received the 3D model it became apparent that there was extensive damage to the details due to wear and tear.

My role involved taking accurate measurements from the scan and recreating a base frame that matched the original with the warp corrected. I then remodelled the beading and linear pattern details using the non damaged parts of the scan as a reference. 

Thereafter I focused on the ornate flower detail work of the frame. I carefully extracted each detail section and projected them back onto the new base that I had built. It became apparent that the initial scan failed to extract the sharper details of the carving. I brought back the detail by digitally re-sculpting the detail back into each section. This part of the process was extremely time consuming and difficult.

Additional details were requested by Inderjit Singh and Baba Kulwant Singh ji. Primarily some weapons and the hawk of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. in addition to this, semi precious stones were embedded to represent individual sacrifices of martyrs from Sikh History.

The Forty semi precious stones on all the corners of the frame symbolise the bravery of the 40 Muktas. The stones used are all 13 mm in diameter and ar agate, amber, coral, coralina, lapis, malachite, quartz and torquoise. A 54 carat freshly mined and cut stone fixed at bottom is in the memory of Mata Bhago Ji.

It has Four Lioness on each inner corner showcasing the power and strength of Mata Gujri Ji , Mata Jeeto Ji , Mata Sundri Ji and Mata Sahib Devan Ji. In each of the lioness’ mouths are placed four precious 52 carat stones in memory of the 4 sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the sahibzadey – Baba Ajit Singh Ji , Baba Jujhar Singh Ji , Baba Zorawar Singh Ji , Baba Fateh Singh Ji. To represent the Panj Pyarey we have two chaur sahibs, a spear (barshi), a sword (sri sahib) and an arrow.

The frame also has a hawk and horse on the each side both of which were very close to guru Gobind Singh jis heart. The mother pearls around the frame are like a Blanket of Protection “Hind Di Chadar” calm and pious and represents the bravery and sacrifice of Guru Teg Bahadur Ji

Once the Digital Model was approved it was sent to a manufacturer in Italy who then produced the frame from a composite of brass and copper with a gold plated finish. the final Frame weighed in at 140kg. It was installed in the shrine during the Guru Nanak Gurpurb celebrations in November 2018. 

The project was a fascinating insight into how 3D technologies can be used to restore and recreate historic relics. I am thankful to Bhai Inderjit Singh ji from Abu Dhabi and Jathedar Baba Kulwant Singh Ji under whose supervision the seva was undertaken. The frame was paid for by the kind donations of Bibi Maninder Kaur Bedi. Additional thanks to the Sachkhand Board and special Thanks to the efforts put in by Bhai Jatinder Singh Ji.

3D render of the complete digital frame
The final frame was installed during the Nov 2018 Gurpurb celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

The final frame above the door to the inner sanctum which holds the relics of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

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Takht SachKhand Sri Hazur Sahib 

Hazur Sahib, also known as Abchal Nagar, is one of the five takhts (“thrones”, seats of temporal authority) in Sikhism. It is located on the banks of the River Godavari at the city of Nanded in the state of Maharashtra, Western India. The gurudwara within the complex is known as Sach-Khand (Realm of Truth).

The structure is built at the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru’s encampment was. The inner room of the gurdwara is called the Angitha Sahib and is built over the place where Guru Gobind Singh was cremated in 1708 and holds ancient relics belonging to the tenth master. The gurdwara was built between 1832 and 1837 by order of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji (1780–1839)

Atam Academy Khanda

In September 2018, representatives of the Atam Academy School inquired about creating a bespoke Khanda design for their Nishaan Sahib that would be unveiled at an opening ceremony on 13th October 2018.

The Khanda is a traditional representation of the double-edged broad sword, which has particular significance due its use in the traditional Sikh Baptism Ceremony.

In recent times the khanda used on most Sikh institutions have been cheaply mass-produced and of poor quality.

A standard Nishaan Sahib with Khanda Insignia and a typical mass produced 15 inch Khanda for placing on Nishan Sahibs

As I am an antique weapons enthusiast I suggested a design that better resembles traditional weapons of the 18th century but with a modern elegant design. The school representatives liked the idea. I produced a few different concept designs in 3D.

This was the first iteration of the design I came up with

The second alternate design added some handle guard style flourishes to each side of the khanda and this was the design they ultimately fell in love with.

Once the design was agreed we discussed the potential material and cost implications of producing the khanda. initially, we agreed to have the part CNC milled in metal with an anodised coating, which proved to be not only costly but time-consuming as well. Another issue was that we didn’t have accurate measurements of the pole attachment, so it did not make sense to spend a significant amount of money on a part that we could not guarantee would fit perfectly. compounding the issue was the fact that there were not many companies in the UK that could produce the part on time. The other method that was discussed was to 3D print the insignia in plastic and then coat it with a metallic finish. This seemed to be the most viable way to produce the part in the short time we had, even if it was just a temporary measure for the opening ceremony.

As most common 3D Printers I had access to have small build volumes the part had to be split into 4 parts. we engineered a keying joint that would enable the part to be securely reassembled once printed. As the khanda would be installed externally and subject to adverse weather conditions I decided to print the part in ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic filament as opposed to PLA (Polylactic Acid), which is a more common biodegradable filament, due to ABS being more durable and being able to withstand higher temperatures. The parts took 38 hours to print in total.

khanda split parts with keys

The khanda split into four parts with keys

Epoxy adhesive was used to attach the parts and gaps were filled using common wood filler. The parts were printed using FDM printing, which is the process of melting a 1.75mm of abs plastic wire through a nozzle into layers of 0.2 mm. This meant that the parts had a visible protruding line where the layers have been melted on top of each other. These striations on the surface needed to be sanded out to ensure a smooth realistic finish. the sanding process was the most laborious and time-consuming task, due to it having to be done manually by hand. I used a high grit rough sandpaper and then worked my way down to lower and smoother grit sandpaper.

Once assembled and primed I explored various options for the surface finish. We decided on using metallic paint often used by car enthusiasts. Common sprays only give the impression of metal but these paints have actual metal in the paint giving them a durable finish and even a magnetic property.

I had a few problems with the flourish designs, they were too thin and kept breaking off. I secured them, in the end, using a drill and dowel joints to secure the armatures. I am working on a new prototype that will make the structure of the flourish design stronger. I am also working on making them modular so they could potentially be swapped out for different handle designs or replaced easily if broken.

I felt privileged to be asked to design the Khanda for the Atam Academy School Nishaan Sahib. It was a pleasure to do and lovely to meet all the dedicated sevadars making the school happen.

I really believe that we need to start putting the same love, care and attention into the design of our cultural artefacts as was the case in our early history when things were not cheaply mass-produced. I commend the Atam Academy for taking the effort and time to create something that we can all be proud of.

the final finished piece. 

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