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The growing trend of custom, 3D-printed urns for deceased family members

By Thor Benson
A doll house stove printed on a Cube 3D printer by 3D Systems is displayed at the 2014 International CES, a trade show of consumer electronics, in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 9, 2014. UPI/Molly Riley
A doll house stove printed on a Cube 3D printer by 3D Systems is displayed at the 2014 International CES, a trade show of consumer electronics, in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 9, 2014. UPI/Molly Riley | License Photo

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ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The growing prevalence of 3D printing has affected every business, and now it's in the business of death.

3D printed urns may not yet be all the rage, but the business is expanding. The urns can take the shape of someone's head, an object the deceased particularly liked or any other object.

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A company called Foreverence out of Minnesota is now 3D printing urns, Pioneer Press reports. Whether it's the person's favorite guitar or their favorite house, the company can recreate it by 3D printing ceramic, metal or composite urns.

Custom urns can be expensive, the report claims, often costing thousands of dollars. Foreverence perfects urns by hand when the 3D-printing is not enough to get the desired results.

Other companies such as Cremation Solutions out of Vermont take a more personal approach. Their urns are busts of the deceased, minus the hair. A couple of good pictures of the subject are enough to recreate their likeness. For likenesses with long hair, wigs are added to make the urns realistic.

A full-size bust of someone's head costs $2,600, and smaller "keepsake sized" urns that only hold some of the ashes cost $600.

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