TYSKA 3D BILDER
Printed Furniture from FranceExperts in computer based design, Linlin and Pierre-Yves Jacques from France, are developing home furnishings printed in 3D. Pierre-Yves has been using and designing objects printed with a 3D printer for eight years, Linlin joined him two years ago. He has a degree in 3D animation and she in digital art. Both love the new technology: “It is a revelation that enables us to give our digital art concrete and physical dimensions. It is very exciting,” Pierre-Yves says. The only drawback: Since printing in 3D is very expensive, the designer pair contract work out to a third party.
They are especially proud of their lamp shade collection that is modeled after Belgian lace. “We presented the Sky and Land models for the first time in September 2014, at the Paris Design Week. The worldwide reception was great, a great surprise. So we decided to make our collection even bigger, with many sizes, shapes and colors,” Linlin says.The couple use predominantly metals and plastic for their creations. “Especially polyamide, which has very good characteristics and enables us to express ourselves freely. It has a plastic powder look at first, but looks silky and matt when finished. It is very strong and doesn’t break. Our lace collection seems very fragile but it isn’t,” Pierre-Yves says.
It is the artistic freedom the new technique offers that the designer team finds so exciting – a chance to develop new aesthetics. “Our notebooks are filled with ideas,” Linlin says.Custom-made products have a long tradition but according to Linlin and Pierre-Yves, 3D printing addresses the creative potential of the masses like no other before it: “We think that the creativity of tomorrow will be influenced by the democratization of manufacturing methods. It will enable both designers and architects to create new shapes and mechanical characteristics,” Pierre-Yves says.
Will All of Us Soon Print Our Own Furniture?The fabrication of smaller objects is simply more wide-spread because small format 3D printers have become more affordable and are freely available. Makerbot of New York is one the leading manufacturers of 3D printers for consumers. These printers are being used in many architecture related areas – like in a project with Martha Stewart Living, where custom-made accessories were produced. The latest Makerbot generation uses polyactic acid (PLA), which is a biodegradable non-toxic plant-based plastic. The individually printed layers are fused through a process called FDM (fused deposition modeling), whereby the latest layer is heated to a very high temperature, in order to fuse it with the next one.
“3D printing has infinite potential in residential architecture and décor, limited only by what people can imagine,” says Anthony Moschella of Makerbot. The Makerbot 3D design community Thingiverse drives the creative exchange: “On Thingiverse, the vast community of designers share their work and there are always new and interesting models being created. We recently reached a milestone with one million designs on Thingiverse and over 500 designs added per day.”Moschella clearly sees his mission as an educational one as well since his printers are meanwhile in more than 5000 schools in the US.“Seeing students embrace the technology is easily one of the best perks. The introduction of 3D printers into the classroom will drive mass adoption of the technology.”Moschella is aware that the introduction of the PC into schools was the beginning of the home office. With over 90,000 Makerbot Desktop 3D printers sold it is understandable that he assumes the same will happen in his own industry.
SKIP THIS ONE??The change in aesthetic mentioned by Menges is noticeable in the details as well. Even though any shape is printable, there seems to be a predilection for bone-like patterns or complex geometrical shapes when printing furniture, jewelry and decorative items.Shown here: Light Fixture by Mutating Creatures, Australia
Printed Furniture and AccessoriesWhile much is still at an experimental or even utopian stage where architecture is concerned, 3D printing of furniture, home accessories and jewelry is already very practicable. One of the pioneers in this area was the Dutchman Dirk van der Koij, who since graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2010 has exhibited his futuristic chairs made of recycled plastic at design conventions all over the world – and often given a live demonstration of the production machinery as well.
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