More and more people are choosing cremation as a part of their end-of-life plans, and many businesses and organizations are paying attention to this new growth. As such, people who choose cremation are now given many more opportunities to express themselves one last time as they pass on. A company in Minneapolis, for instance, is merging this new trend with the hottest movement in technology by offering custom, 3D printed urns. The company first made headlines when they printed a custom Energy Dome urn for Bob Casale, guitarist and keyboardist for new wave band Devo. Now they say they plan to offer completely custom urns to everyone by way of funeral directors.

The company is called Foreverence, and they say they want to bring true customization to an industry filled with “me-too” products.

“Everyone calls their products ‘custom’ but they all look like a vase or a box,” said Foreverence CEO Pete Saari in an interview. This sort of customization can only be delivered by way of 3D printer. Those who preplan may have the opportunity to work with a funeral director to detail every part of their service down to the urn. Foreverence say they can print urns in nearly any shape, including ballet slippers, cars, guitars, pianos, and more.

The 3D Printing movement allows the same sort of flexibility and wealth of options to many different industries. And as 3D printers become more easily built and more affordable, more businesses are able to offer such customization to their clients.

These machines most often work by extruding a high-heat plastic and arranging it in whichever shape is desired. Some printers can handle different materials, including metals and edibles. Foreverence’s machines, for instance, are able to print urns made of ceramic composite, a longer lasting and safer material for the job than plastic. Depending on the size of the urn, printing each vessel can take as long as nine hours. The machine goes to work, printing layer by layer until the general shape desired is left on the printing platform. Next the Foreverence team goes to work sanding and refining the urn, and ensuring the urn is exactly as the customer wishes.

The marriage of cremation and 3D printing may seem an unlikely one, but the two industries are actually perfect for one another. Both offer the general public an incredible amount of choice and customization as well as the opportunity to fully express their personalities.
Those who choose to preplan their cremations are given even more opportunities to express themselves and have total control over their end-of-life plans.

When you preplan your cremation, you not only decide every aspect of your funeral plans, you also relieve your loved ones of the burdens associated with death. Smart Cremation offers many affordable and flexible plans for preplanned cremation, and their knowledgeable and compassionate staff will present you with all options available to you. Start preplanning your cremation today, and experience for yourself the level of customization only cremation can offer. Contact Smart Cremation today!