RONGSU Helps Bring Large-Scale Metal 3D-Printed Sculpture to Hong Kong, Overcoming Complex Lattice Structure Challenges

In June this year, a large-scale metal 3D-printed sculpture was officially unveiled in the "Wedding Garden" of Hong Kong Immigration Department's new headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, becoming a popular landmark for newlyweds. Measuring 5.3 m × 4.8 m × 3.8 m and weighing over 2,000 kg, the sculpture resembles a flowing, soft white bridal veil in appearance, yet is made of solid stainless steel, showcasing a seamless blend of artistic sculpture and 3D printing technology.

The sculpture was designed under the leadership of the Hong Kong Architectural Services Department, with collaboration from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Institute of Emerging Technologies at The University of Hong Kong, and CGN Suzhou Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd. Hip Hing Construction Group acted as the project initiator and main contractor, while Rongsu Technology provided manufacturing support.

01 WAAM Technology Meets Artistic Creativity for a Unique Wedding Experience

Named “Weaving Love”, the sculpture draws inspiration from the flowing veil of a bride. It features 1,312 hollow heart patterns interwoven with the two hearts of the newlyweds to form 1,314 hearts, symbolizing eternal love and embodying artistic creativity and romantic meaning. To fully realize the veil‘s delicate flow and structural strength, the designers selected RONGSU’s Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) metal 3D printing technology for fabrication.

Flowing curves and heart patterns of the sculpture，showcasing fine details

WAAM is a rapid forming technology for large, complex metal structures, offering high design freedom, unlimited forming size, and cost efficiency. Using an electric arc as the heat source, it melts metal wire and deposits material layer by layer to build the 3D metal structure. This allows the sculpture’s intricate veil design to be faithfully reproduced with high precision and fine detail, providing both creative flexibility and reliable manufacturing quality.

RONGSU has mature WAAM expertise and self-developed arc-wire 3D printing equipment, offering end-to-end metal additive manufacturing services. To date, over 600 printed components have been delivered. Through continuous design optimization, the production cycle and cost of the veil sculpture were significantly reduced, minimizing material waste and carbon emissions.

RONGSU WAAM Technology

02 Professionally Customized Printing Solves Large-Scale, Complex Structure Challenges

The veil sculpture’s structure consists of quadrilateral-like lattice tubes with large curves, making deformation control during printing challenging and requiring precise angle printing and process calibration. RONGSU integrated artistic design with 3D printing to develop a customized printing solution.

Firstly, using draft angle analysis cloud maps, the overall workpiece inclination was evaluated. Areas with large angles were printed in zones with supporting structures, and the sculpture was divided into multiple sections for printing. The sections were then assembled and welded using custom fixtures.

1. Outer Cloud Map | 2. Side Cloud Map | 3. Inner Cloud Map

RONGSU‘s self-developed path slicing software precisely plans printing paths for each zone, controlling parameters and visualizing the entire printing process with digital twin technology, allowing real-time monitoring of progress and status.

Printing path pre-planning

Printing according to the planned path

Secondly, process parameters were optimized to ensure quality. For near-vertical printing, five rounds of parameter adjustments ensured wall thickness remained within a reasonable range while improving surface appearance. For steep-angled sections, continuous printing at a 50° incline maintained stable patterns, and slicing adjustments ensured lattice structures matched the CAD model, mitigating deformation caused by large-volume components.

Sculpture Printing Samples

03 Eight-Axis Linked Printing Equipment Ensures High-Quality Delivery

To guarantee final quality, RONGSU employed large vertical-rail arc additive printing systems RS-R1 and RS-L2, featuring self-developed high-precision calibration algorithms to ensure absolute path accuracy. These systems integrate large-scale capability, automation, and high precision, supporting on-time delivery of the sculpture at exceptional quality.

Arc additive printing RS series in progress

The RS-R1/L2 systems are equipped with multiple sensors: height sensors for consistent layer height and penetration compensation; single-point infrared temperature sensors for interlayer temperature control; and self-developed melt pool monitoring cameras that avoid welding glare while clearly observing melt pool dynamics.

Melt pool monitoring process

After inspection, the sculpture produced using RONGSU WAAM technology demonstrated clear advantages in surface quality, interlayer pattern, dimensional accuracy, cutting, assembly, welding, and finishing. The veil sculpture was delivered to the client on schedule.

The realization of “Weaving Love” showcases how additive manufacturing balances production speed and precision in artistic sculpture. As a high-tech enterprise specializing in metal wire additive manufacturing, RONGSU will continue to innovate, refining design, materials, equipment, process routes, and efficient production solutions, while expanding the diversified applications of metal additive manufacturing.