Memorial Keepsakes
Case Study · MJF in Practice
Lasting Impressions
3D printed memorial keepsakes for bereaved families.
In partnership with a Child Life Department in the Kansas City area.
Download Case StudyThe Challenge
When a child passes away, families often have only hours to create tangible memories before they must say goodbye. For decades, hospitals relied on plaster casting kits — a time-consuming, hands-on process requiring mixing, molding, drying, and direct physical handling of the child by staff.
The results were fragile, unrepeatable, and a single failed mold meant a memory lost forever.
The Solution
A Child Life Department in the Kansas City area partnered with us to replace plaster molds with a fully digital, fully non-contact workflow. The scan itself takes just a few minutes with the Artec 3D handheld scanner — fast, non-invasive, with no mixing, no molding, and no drying time.
Total staff time, including digital post-processing, stays under one hour. Each keepsake is printed on our HP Multi Jet Fusion 580 in natural PA12 nylon, arriving in a warm, off-white finish that closely resembles traditional plaster — and preserves fine surface detail down to individual skin creases.
A perfect match between technology and purpose: PA12 nylon's strength and detail fidelity, paired with a workflow that asks nothing more of grieving families.
A workflow built around dignity and time.
3D Scan
Staff scan hands and feet with the Artec 3D handheld scanner. Fully non-contact and gentle on the child, completed in a few minutes with no preparation required.
Send Digital File
The digital file is sent securely to our lab. No casting materials, no molding, no physical shipping from the hospital.
Print & Deliver
Printed on our HP Multi Jet Fusion 580 in natural PA12 nylon and shipped directly to the family or hospital. Staff time ends at the scan.
Clean
No casting or physical contact
Durable
Tough, long-lasting natural nylon
Precise
Preserves fine detail down to skin creases
Bring this program to your hospital.
We work with Child Life Departments and bereavement programs nationally. Because the workflow is fully digital after the scan, we can partner with hospitals anywhere in the country.