Yale University’s School of Engineering recently unveiled a ceremonial mace designed by graduate Jacob Eldred, an artist and engineer. The mace symbolizes the evolution of engineering, showcasing a progression from traditional to modern materials, shapes, surface textures, and manufacturing techniques. The base is hand-carved wood, followed by brass and copper, with increasingly complex shapes at the top made from aluminum and stainless steel using CNC and LMM technology.
Near the top of the sculpture is a stainless steel 316L part printed by Incus, symbolizing the future. This piece, where the trunk of the tree splits into branches, is crucial in holding the structure together. Jacob designed it to showcase Incus technology’s ability to create curves that are impossible with traditional methods.
The Incus part features intricate internal geometries that cannot be machined or cast, and its complex curved surfaces captivate viewers, making them wonder how it was made —especially out of metal. Even engineers familiar with 3D printing will take a second look.
“As an artist and engineer, I’m fascinated by the reappearance of natural flowing shapes in manufacturing today,” says Eldred. “In the past, craftsmen competed to create the most intricate and natural forms from wood, ivory, and silver, as seen in princely collections in Dresden and Vienna, which I was inspired by.”
“These organic shapes were replaced by flat planes and cylinders during the Industrial Revolution due to the limitations of early machine tools. Now, with advanced automation and 3D printing, we can create elaborate curves, overhangs, and lattices. By producing these complex shapes with the Hammer Lab35 printer in my sculpture, I’m continuing the tradition of sculptors pushing technological boundaries. I’m excited to see how engineers will begin to think in these complex forms as they adopt advanced manufacturing techniques.”
Photos © Jacob Eldred and Kristin Wagner