Photo courtesy DeLorme
FedEx Office has used a Jeti 3020 Titan large-format ultraviolet-curing (UV-curing) inkjet printer from Agfa Graphics to produce new map panels for Eartha, the world’s largest revolving and rotating globe.
The illuminated landmark sits in the headquarters (HQ) of DeLorme, which produces digital map, Global Positioning System (GPS) and mapping software products for government, military, business and consumer markets in Yarmouth, ME. The original Eartha panels from 1998 were fading and peeling, so a facelift was needed.
FedEx was able to reproduce all 729 map panels that comprise Eartha’s surface, printing with UV-curable inks onto corrugated plastic. DeLorme employees then mounted the new panels onto the globe (see video).
Eartha is a full, dimensional scale model, including mountains and landforms. It rotates and revolves like the Earth does, using a specially built mechanized cantilever arm. Measuring 12.6 m (41.5 ft) in diameter, it was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 and retains its title today.
