Case Study: The Metropolitan Museum of Art achieves a highly detailed, fast 1:150 pyramid model for its Ancient Egypt exhibition with Protolabs' 3D‑printing services

The Metropolitan Museum of Art used 3D printing to create exhibition models

The Metropolitan Museum of Art needed a precise, physical reconstruction of King Senwosret III’s pyramid complex for its “Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom” exhibition and turned to Protolabs to bridge a NURBS-based 3D CAD model into a 1:150‑scale tangible model. The museum required highly detailed, small parts to reproduce complex geometries from the virtual model for use in traditional mold‑making and casting workflows.

Protolabs supplied industrial 3D printing (stereolithography, SL) prototypes in an ABS‑like thermoplastic, delivering multiple iterations in days rather than weeks and producing the fine detail necessary for molding and epoxy casting. The result—described by the Met as “remarkable”—is a true‑to‑life 1:150 model (the main pyramid is about 1.5 ft tall) that enhances visitor interpretation of the site; Protolabs’ fast turnaround and precise parts were key measurable impacts enabling rapid prototyping and accurate final models.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ronald Street

The Metropolitan Museum of Art