> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.protein.xyz/llms.txt
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# The 3-B Printing Project
- URL: https://www.protein.xyz/the-3-b-printing-project/
- Published: 2013-07-30T11:22:00.000Z
- Updated: 2016-06-12T21:57:56.000Z
- Description: A whiskey brand create buzz with a naturally 3D printed bottle made by 80,000 bees.
- Author: Joe Iley
- Tags: Seeds, Art & Design, Food & Drink, #protein, #Import 2024-06-11 13:25

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/aafa7ace-2e6b-4ca3-a9ae-4264ce95a342.jpeg)

[Dewar's](http://dewars.com/lda/?ref=protein.xyz) is marking the launch of their latest honey-infused whisky with a campaign that celebrates their indispensable partner: the humble honey bee.  
  
Conceived by creative agency [Sid Lee](http://sidlee.com/?ref=protein.xyz) and produced by [The Ebeling Group](http://theebelinggroup.com/?ref=protein.xyz), the [3-B Printing Project](http://new.theebelinggroup.com/portfolio/item/dewars-3b/?ref=protein.xyz) partnered master beekeeper Robin Theron with Los Angeles based sculptor [James Peterson](http://artcontraptions.com/wordpress/?ref=protein.xyz) and an 80,000-strong army of bees.  
  
To overcome the bees' naturally inclination to build inwards, the team created an 'inside-out hive' by 3D printing a mold of outwardly facing hexagonal cells to imitate the honeycomb pattern produced by the bees in their natural environment. To further fortify their forgery, the team covered the faux-hive in real beeswax before enclosing the structure within a transparent plastic case. This afforded the team the rare opportunity to witness the bees at work in their most natural of states; indeed, the bees were fooled into producing sufficient wax to form solid sculptures, including a whisky bottle and a bust of the Dewar's Drinking Man.  
  
The importance of bees in our ecosystem and to our overall survival is a hot-topic that [we've explored before](https://www.prote.in/en/feed/2012/07/sky-hive?ref=protein.xyz). Whilst there's no doubting it is an interesting way to launch a new product, it is not the first example of controlled beeswax production. Slovakian designer [Tomáš Libertíny](http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/?ref=protein.xyz) created [The Honeycomb Vase](http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/?portfolio=the-honeycomb-vase&ref=protein.xyz) in 2007, whilst his 2010 project [The Unbearable Lightness](http://www.tomaslibertiny.com/?portfolio=the-unbearable-lightness&ref=protein.xyz) employed a similar (though not exact) technique to that of the 3-B Printing Project.  

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/c689d766-7ceb-4873-8a26-0b0e0294f38e.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/aa4f9bef-b9a7-43da-a5ee-bed96051f83a.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/3945b4b6-ed49-4e33-97b9-1e3a6a31108b.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/d63cb20b-38fd-4069-b45c-1338bf9630cb.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/cf2b8a8e-38ab-4c31-a75c-b486b5377d66.jpeg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/fc/71/fc716215-5729-441a-bd07-e2b50bc413b1/content/images/S3/protein/9476/991447cf-1096-4617-90c3-7b0076e9be0a.jpeg)