3D-Printed Urns: The Latest Choice For Memorializing Loved Ones

Technological advancements are seamlessly blending themselves into nearly every area of life today, including our most intimate and personal experiences. One area that’s being quietly revolutionized by the innovative abilities of 3D printing is the funeral industry, through the development of custom cremation urns.

The value of 3D cremation urns is two-fold, allowing technological interest to meet emotional significance. Here’s what to know about the intersection of technology, innovation, and emotion and how it comes together in the world of 3D-printed cremation urns.

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The Emotional Connection Of A Personalized Urn

Imagine, if you will, an urn that truly represents someone you’ve lost. Would it be in the shape of their four-wheeler? The classic car they restored? An elegant genie lamp in their favorite color?

Or maybe a cremation urn inspired by their most cherished pop-culture passions: intricate armor designs, beloved game characters, iconic fictional symbols. With 3D printing, we bring even the geekiest world into a tangible, deeply personal memorial.

By using 3D printing for cremation urns, you turn the seemingly impossible into a deeply personal tribute.

Susan Fraser of In the Light Urns Inc., a leading provider of 3D-printed memorial products since 2014, says, “When you lose someone you love, you lose so much of what made that person a special and significant part of your life. Therefore, the right memorial is an excellent way to bring some of that back and showcase your loved one’s personality to the fullest.”

Challenges In The Creation Of Custom Cremation Urns

Just a decade ago, 3D printing faced challenges such as limited resolution, minimal material choices, and lower-end software capabilities, making it hard to achieve designs with any real level of detail or complexity.

However, that’s all changed for the better. Now, advancements in printer technology, expanded material options, and sophisticated design tools have moved 3D printing past these obstacles, allowing for the creation of intricate and functional objects that were previously impossible.

There are numerous print materials in use today including PLA, polycarbonate, resin, carbon fiber, metals, and composites. With a wide variety of materials and full CMYK color options, it’s possible to create nearly any design when honoring a lost loved one.

Using software such as Autodesk, Zbrush, and Blender, along with 3D Systems, Stratasys, and Airwolf, printers have completely revolutionized what 3D printing has to offer. A big challenge when creating a memorial is time because there’s more to the process than just the actual printing.

A 3D printer can run for hours unattended, and the modeling depends on the detail the customer wants. But after the printing is complete, a series of coatings have to be built out and artists will work on the fine details.

One to two millimeters of epoxy coat will be used on a 3D-printed urn to ensure it’s ready to serve its purpose beautifully and securely for years to come.

Why You Should Choose 3D-Printed Urns

Choosing a 3D-printed cremation urn has a big advantage over traditional options. Being able to customize a memorial is important, and traditional urns only have a set amount of customization. You can do a lot with them, but not nearly as much as you can do with 3D-printed urns.

With ZBrush software, for example, you’re not just modeling an urn. You can create a digital replica of someone, or of something they valued highly in life. That can help you honor your lost loved one in a way only cutting-edge tools and technological advancement can provide.

The Market Niche For 3D Custom Cremation Urns

There are only a select few North American companies involved in this niche market, due to the significant investment in both technology and talent required.

Getting a custom urn that’s been 3D-printed isn’t as easy as getting a more standard urn, and there aren’t as many places offering 3D cremation urns for ashes.

The market’s adaptation to these urns has been slow, partially due to cost but also due to lack of awareness. Until just recently, most people who lost a loved one didn’t know they could have a 3D-printed urn created.

Now that more people are interested in this option, the market for 3D-printed urns is growing. Being able to get the exact urn you want is an amazing and beautiful way to honor a loved one’s personality, interests, and memory.

A Decade Of Technological Evolution

If you wanted a photorealistic urn five or 10 years ago, it would have taken weeks to print. Even then, it might not have looked quite the way you wanted or envisioned.

Now, software and 3-D printing technologies have advanced to the point that the printing can be completed in days. The microscopic detail offered is also far beyond what was previously available; you really have to see it to believe it.

The Future Of Memorialization Lies In 3D-Printed Cremation Urns

Choosing 3D-printed cremation urns is about more than honoring the past. It’s also about focusing on the future. The power of technology meets the comfort of tradition, and that makes it easier to honor your loved one and feel close to them.

Even though 3D-printed urns already offer unparalleled personalization, there are ongoing efforts to increase the value they provide.

Consider, for example, the idea of interactive urns that are printed with conductive materials. Touching a certain spot could trigger light, music, or even a voice recording. Or what about dynamic designs that use thermochromic pigments?

This could show hidden patterns or symbols when warmed by the touch of a hand, adding a layer of magic and surprise to a memorial.

Aerogels will also become more accessible, and incorporating these light, space-age materials to an urn can create an ethereal feel and symbolize your loved one’s spirit taking flight.

There are many options for an exciting technological future when it comes to cremation urn development, allowing you to memorialize and honor a loved one in a way that fits how you want to remember them.