By Jeanne Tan / 01-07-2010

One of the most exciting products to come out of 3D digital manufacturing - all the way back in 2006 - was Patrick Jouin's One Shot stool for Belgian 3D digital fabricators .MGX by Materialize. The French designer's creation is manufactured by selective laser sintering (SLS) - using laser energy to fuse material together by scanning cross sections of the 3D drawing to create a single mass - complete with concealed hinges in the structure of the stool: with one flick, a twisted array of rods unfolds into a sturdy seat. 

For the design world, the possibilities opened up not only to 3D print single objects but their internal components as well - which could be easily integrated without a glitch. Also in 2006, surprisingly with less fanfare but not disregarding its innovation, we saw the first completely 3D printed shoe. Like the stool, the shoe comes out of the machine in one piece, complete with complex details like the cavities under the insole and built-in hinges that move to give the shoe flexibility with each step.

Both pioneering projects are included in the exhibition FULL PRINTE3D which forms a major component of the FABRICATION LABORATORY event hosted by Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHUB) which is a combined museum, institution and laboratory for design. The event aims to offer a comprehensive overview of 3D digital manufacturing technologies via a series of workshops, activities, exhibitions, lectures, real-time fabrication laboratories and more. The Platform21 = Repairing Workshop is one of the associated workshops of the event. The exhibition FULL PRINTE3D focuses on additive manufacturing systems, presenting projects across a range of industries that illustrate conceptual applications of this kind of production. Some iconic pieces in the exhibition include Jouin's Solid Chair again for .MGX (2004), Swedish Quartet Front's 'Materialized Sketch of a Chandelier and a Chair' (2005) and Nendo's Diamond Chair (2008).

Product design has been relatively slow to catch onto 3D digital manufacturing however in recent years, we see more designers experimenting with its techniques. The term 3D digital manufacturing is also often interchanged with 3D printing, rapid prototyping or rapid manufacture. For some designers, it's the minimal connection that 3D digital manufacturing has with shaping 'real' materials like wood, ceramics, steel, etc and for others it's the high cost of the production itself. What will be most interesting to follow in the coming years will be when digital and craft/handwork merge. While there are many benefits of 3D digital manufacturing including low material waste, producing objects on request without the need for costly tooling, ability to replicate complex geometries and the rapid speed of manufacture, what's most interesting is the potential for mass-customisation. In today's age where individuality has become a priority, 3D digital manufacture enables products (and services) to be adjusted to meet an individual's specific needs without interruption to the production process nor an increase in production costs.

Two of the most active companies in this domain are included in the exhibition: .MGX by Materialize and ofcourse Amsterdam-based Freedom of Creation (FOC). Led by Finnish designer Janne Kyttanen, FOC have been active in this field for ten years, producing their own creations as well as for other designers. On show here, we see 3D printed textile patterns which were developed from 2000-2005 which eventually became a dress which was used to visualize their application, and the Punch Bag. Specially commissioned was the intricate 'Michael' glove in remembrance of the late musical icon.

One of the designers who FOC has helped to realize their design is Bram Geenen. The shape of Geenen's Gaudi stool is determined in the same way that Spanish architect Antoní Gaudi designed arches for his buildings: by suspending chains, letting gravity establish the most logical curve for the arch to be self-supporting. Structurally, a curved ribbed substructure was printed via SLS in nylon which is covered by a shell of carbon fibre. With the stool, software was used only to model the object only to be able to manufacture it, however with the follow-up Gaudi chair - which is not included in the exhibition - this will differ slightly. "The development of the chair made it possible to experiment with combining analog (chain models) and digital generative techniques, and thus investigating the added value of using software to establish shape," explains Geenen. FOC printed the substructure for the chair. So what will be the future of the project? "We have developed a basic, mass-producible version of the Gaudi Stool in cast aluminum. We are currently reviewing how to get this into production. And the studio continues to work on furniture in which technology is based on a logical and natural concept. We have been talking to innovative companies about co-development, now we hope the publicity around the Gaudi Chair will stimulate them to cooperate."

Jointed Jewels by New York-based/Netherlands-raised designer Alissia Melka-Teichroew (by:AMT) takes inspiration from ball joints - usually associated with car parts and hip replacements - to fashion a jewellery collection. Normally assembled in separate parts, through SLS, the pieces are literally 3D printed as a ball within a ball. Using this connection system, the technique is manifest in a series of striking single strand and interlocking necklaces and bracelets in round, square and tubular forms.

Something that could tickle the fancy of many ladies (and gentlemen) could be the development of truly customized shoes. Since 2006, Sjors Bergmans has been working on the first truly rapid manufactured shoe, 'Head over Heels.' Not just sculptural eye candy, it is a functional shoe designed (and digitally printed via SLS) with built-in hinges that open and close with each step to allow the shoe to bend (This is to compensate for the relative hardness of the material). The design also cancels the need for steel reinforcement in the heel as per conventional shoe design. The shoe is finished in black and red as well as black flock. "The beauty of rapid manufacturing in shoe design is that we do not have to make moulds for every part we need to make. Making moulds is very expensive and time consuming. You need to make and sell a great deal of products to earn back the costs of moulding. Now these parts can be made in very limited editions," explains Bergmans. "Another great advantage is that you can produce completely different products without interrupting the production process: that is magical. It is possible to make essential adjustments, up to shoes with the perfect fit, adjusted to the individual foot or shoes that truly maximize your performance."  

While it's true that 3D printed objects are less affordable currently in comparison with conventionally produced pieces, the rapid pace of technological development could speed up the availability of rapid manufactured objects for our everyday lives. Experts predict that in the not too distant future, we could all have our own 3D printers at home which could potentially change the landscape in which we consume. This naturally opens the way for Open Design. More to follow...

FULL PRINTE3D
Printing objects
16 June 2010 until 29 May 2011
Disseny Hub Barcelona (DHUB)

Main images and images 1-6: Exhibition photography
Image 7: Alissia Melka-Teichroew
Images 8&9: Sjor Bergmans
Images 10&11: Freedom of Creation

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