3D Printing News Briefs, August 5, 2020: Titan Robotics & Braskem, 3DPRINTUK

Today’s 3D Printing News Briefs is about materials and a 3D printed version of a real building. Titan Robotics and Braskem are partnering up to offer new solutions in 3D printed polypropylene, while 3DPRINTUK is expanding its materials and post-processing capabilities. Finally, the Coit Tower House in San Francisco now has a 3D printed miniature replica.

Titan Robotics & Braskem Announce Partnership

Braskem Polypropylene pellets for 3D printing

Production AM solutions provider Titan Robotics and petrochemical company Braskem have announced their strategic partnership, which has resulted in the launch of a new polypropylene (PP) resin that’s been optimized for 3D printing large-format production parts. The two companies spent over a year researching and developing the new material, which is the first commercially available grade of unfilled PP engineered specifically for 3D printing on Titan’s industrial Atlas 3D printers with pellet extrusion. The features of PP include chemical resistance, dimensional stability, impact strength, low density, recyclability, and thanks to this new partnership, Titan and Braskem will be able to offer improved industrial AM solutions.

“3D printing large parts using polypropylene resin has been a challenge for many years,” stated Rahul Kasat, Titan Robotics’ Chief Commercial Officer. “In collaboration with Braskem, a global leader in the polypropylene market, we have now solved that challenge. Our industrial customers will be able to print functional parts with this first of its kind polypropylene grade. We are also excited to continue to develop new polypropylene based solutions for our customers in collaboration with Braskem.”

Titan is also an authorized distributor of Braskem’s 3D printing pellet products.

3DPRINTUK Expanding Materials & Post-Processing

PEBA Dyed Close Up

SLS low volume production specialist 3DPRINTUK is branching out with its introduction of the flexible PrimePart 2301, a polyether block amide (PEBA) material with good chemical and water resistance, rubber-like characteristics not dissimilar to TPU, excellent detail resolution, and a higher melting point than most other resin-based elastomers. The material would be a good fit for batch production runs and rugged end-use applications, including handles, sports equipment, air ducts, and gaskets. Additionally, the company has invested in DyeMansion’s PowerShot S system, which uses a proprietary PolyShot Surfacing (PSS) process that allows 3DPRINTUK to offer a shot peening post-processing service that can improve the surface finish of 3D printed parts.

“At 3DPRINT UK we have honed and optimized the SLS 3D printing process over many years to achieve the best possible results off our machines for a wide range of relevant applications, that continue to grow in scope. However, the post processing of parts — from cleaning through to further optimised surface finishes — has always been a necessity for many of our clients. Expanding our post processing capabilities is a vital part of the business, and the DyeMansion PowerShot S system is an important next step in our expansion, enabling us to offer our many and varied clients the benefits of shot peened 3D printed parts from a single source,” said Nick Allen, the CEO and Founder of 3DPRINTUK.

3D Printed Coit Tower House

The 210′ tall Coit Tower was built in the early 1930s in San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill neighborhood as a way to beautify the city. The art deco tower, a recognizable sight on the city’s skyline, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early 2008, and 12 years later, Yuriy Sklyar, the founder, CEO, and head of design & marketing at design studio Threefifty, has 3D printed a replica tower that stands over 7′ tall…a 1/20 scale. Utilizing a Creality CR10S5, a Replicator 2, and a MakerBot system, Sklyar, who has been utilizing 3D printing since 2013, called this unique project a “great opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the best city in the world – and its art community.” It took a month to create the base of the tower, as he had to redo a lot of it, eventually installing a heated silicone bed and heat enclosure to reduce the amount of warping. The next month was spent printing “the 4 giant sections of the fluted tower design.”

“Each one of these four sections, just like the real tower, consists of 4 sub-sections – I wanted to be very accurate with such details. At first these were limited in height by the 3rd party 3D printer, so only 2 sub-sections were supposed to be printed at a time, and then joined together with metal plates and nuts/bolts, but since I was now working on my own terms, I decided to reduce the amount of work for myself, and at the same time reduce the number of bolts/nuts/plates to just 4 sets, instead of 8,” Sklyar wrote.

“Each one of these sections takes about 3.5-4 days to print using a single 1.1mm shell @ 10% infill, which created for a surprisingly strong structure, since I instructed the infil to have a 45% overlap with inner and outer walls.”

You can check out his post for the very specific details of the project, but I’ll leave you with just a few – including all of the hardware used, the 3D printed Coit Tower weighs a total of 24 kg, and took over 7.5 km of ColorFabb’s nGen filament, SUNLU PETG and Gizmo Dorks PETG filament to print. Sklyar designed the whole thing from scratch, and the columns are joined by steel plates secured by bolts and in-printed nuts.

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4 Remarkable Creations in 3D Printed Furniture

SuperMod by Simplus Design
SuperMod by Simplus Design. Image source: Simplus Design © Alan Tansey

The use of 3D printing in furniture design has
allowed for the creation of highly precise, intricate and functional works of
art that use materials in fresh, imaginative ways. Many designers are using 3D printing
to create modern, sometimes futuristic furniture that uses the aesthetic of
machine made textures to its advantage. Here are a few to get started:

Folding Stool Printed by SLS Technology

In 2006, Patrick Jouin from Belgian design company Materialise.MGX created the ultimate practical folding seat with the One Shot Stool. The stool is designed to twist in one simple motion from a narrow folded position not much larger than a walking stick or folded umbrella into a sturdy and functional seat. The stool has a modern, fresh aesthetic and is easy to transport and store. The stool was printed using Selective Laser Sintering and the stool and all of its moving parts and hinges were cut out of the same piece of material.

The Most Intricately Detailed Chairs You’ve Ever Seen

Team CurVoxels from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London created a series of robot-printed filigree chairs using the designs of a S-curved chair as their basis. These highly intricate and complex chairs consist of thousands of tangled looking filaments in varying densities depending on where structural support needed to be strongest. The team created a custom nozzle for their printer that was able to produce four to six millimeter filaments in the air that allowed for uninterrupted printing and the students were able to alter the pattern where needed using an app.

A Versatile Modular Shelf for Spaces of All Sizes

SuperMod by Simplus Design.
SuperMod by Simplus Design. Image source: Simplus Design © Alan Tansey

Sebastian Misiurek and Arianna Lebed designed SuperMod as a multi-faceted unit that could act simply as a shelving unit but also as a partition or standalone piece. Each of its mods were printed in opaque white and translucent red plastic and can be detached and moved around to suit specific storage needs as well as allow light to travel through it in different ways and create glowing effects. Using on-demand 3D printing, this versatile modular shelf can consist of as many individual units as one chooses to achieve the desired look or to fit a client’s specific storage needs.

Nature Inspired, Artificially Manufactured

The first collection produced by Spanish design company, Nagami Design, was a series of four 3D printed chairs, collectively named Brave New World, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, Ross Lovegrove and Daniel Widrig. Bow and Rise, the first two chairs (Zaha Hadid), were inspired by coral reef and marine ecosystems and both feature a curved seat and a singular base printed by a pellet-extruder. The RoboticaTM stool (Ross Lovegrove) draws connections between natural programming and artificial manufacturing that occurs in robotics. The seat is made of silicone inserts and the seat itself was created using a continuous rotational process fusing layer upon layer together. David Wildrig’s Peeler chair is composed of three curved, seven-millimeter-thick shells of PLA plastic and was designed to use as little machine time and create as little waste as possible.

Handcrafting is still just as viable a way to create furniture, as that produces its own particular aesthetics. 3D printing simply allows for the further exploration of what aesthetics are possible and allows for there to be a focus on different types of details and methods, broadening the scope of what designers can create.

Feeling inspired? Let Shapeways 3D print your creation today.

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 26, 2019

For your holiday edition of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ll get business out of the way first – Wipro 3D has launched Addwize, a new Additive Technology Adoption and Acceleration Program. Moving on, Prusa interviewed animatronic model senior designer Joshua Lee about their shared interest in 3D printing. Finally, Voodoo Manufacturing helped an artist bring her 2D artistic vision to full-sized 3D life.

Wipro 3D Introduces Addwize Program

Scale vendors: Foundation – blue; Advanced – green; Practitioner – orange

Additive manufacturing solutions provider Wipro 3D, a business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, has launched a new Additive Technology Adoption and Acceleration Program called Addwize, which will address all the phases in the AM adoption cycle within academia and industry. The multi-platform, OEM-agnostic adoption program will help interested organizations and institutions fully understand 3D printing, evaluate business cases for the technology, and then scientifically use it to create value. It’s designed to help stakeholders of all levels, and academia, adopt and scale their usage of AM for business benefits.

“Wipro 3D addwize™ is designed and developed to support any organization or institution who is either evaluating metal Additive technology, has AM in their near future technology roadmap or has already invsted in AM, create business value using metal AM,” said Ajay Parikh, Vice President and Business Head, Wipro 3D.

“There is no lower or upper limit to the size of the organization who wants to evaluate AM.”

Prusa Interviews Animatronic Model Designer Joshua Lee

Not too long ago, the Research Content Team at Prusa met award-winning animatronic model senior designer Joshua Lee in Prague, who has over 25 years of experience in the film industry working on such movies as Prometheus, The Fifth Element, and even the Star Wars and Harry Potter series. The team took advantage of the opportunity to speak with Lee about a topic near and dear to all their hearts – 3D printing, which he uses often in his work.

“We use a lot of different techniques of 3D printing in the filming industry,” Lee told Prusa. “We only really adopted it in the last 5 years. I am really using it a lot now.

“The thing I like the most is how 3D printers help when you have really tight deadlines. The film director has a new idea and you just wish there were more hours in a day. We used to do a lot of “all-nighters” to get things made. If you’ve got your own 3D printer, you can design something quickly, press print and you can go home to bed – that’s the best thing! In the morning, you are up and running again and this amazing print awaits you there. I still get a small thrill, every time I come in and see this thing that has magically appeared there overnight.”

To hear more of what Lee had to say about the materials he uses (PLA and PETG), his preferred desktop printer (Original Prusa MK3), and specific Star Wars-related projects he used 3D printing for, check out the rest of the interview in the video below:

Voodoo Manufacturing Assists with 3D Printed Art Installation

Back in 1976, artist Agnes Denes created a 2D art piece called Probability Pyramid – Study for Crystal Pyramid, and has long since dreamed of turning into a life-size installation. In early 2019, her dream seemed like it would become reality when NYC-based art space The Shed began working with her on the project. The team didn’t have much luck with acrylic, glass, or mold injection, and so turned to Brooklyn’s Voodoo Manufacturing for assistance. There were a lot of requirements for the project – the Pyramid required several groups of bricks in unique sizes and shapes, totaling 5,442 translucent bricks that could be stacked to easily transport and form the pyramid; Voodoo 3D printed bricks that were 99% hollow, so they were less breakable and very lightweight.

“A lot of traditional manufacturing happens abroad. Because Voodoo’s factory is in Brooklyn, the team at The Shed would have an easier time accessing the parts as the sculpture was built. By the same token, as part of her commitment to environmental responsibility, it was very important for Agnes Denes to keep the production local,” Voodoo explained.

“The use of 3D printing was much more in line with her vision than traditional sculpture construction methods. This also allowed us to test multiple versions of the Pyramid digitally instead of having to build many physical versions.”

Thanks to Voodoo’s digital factory, the exhibition Agnes Denes: Absolutes and Intermediates opened on time. The retrospective, which features the 3D printed installation, will be displayed at The Shed until March 22, 2020.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below. 

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Aki Inomota – Think Evolution #1

I am excited to do some research and follow up based on some topics and discussions I heard on Dezeen Day. This particular discussion is based on an artist who has done some interesting and fascinating work within 3D Printing that I would like to talk about. I find it interesting a current movement within the art world of exploring scientific concepts within work. Art and design are starting to fuse a bit more with scientific thinking, and it is an interesting development we should be watching for the future. This particular artist will be showcasing a little of this type of thinking.

Aki Inomota is a Tokyo-based artist. She was born in Tokyo in 1983. She also completed an MFA at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Her degree was in Inter Media Art. Her work was mentioned within the Dezeen Talk from Paola Antonelli. Paola has curated Aki Inomota’s work in one of her recent projects at MOMA. The piece, in particular, is named Think Evolution #1. This particular piece is a resin casted ammonite fossil.

Think Evolution Aki Inomata

Ammonites are an extinct species. They are usually one of the most well known and distinguishable fossils to the normal human. They are excellent index fossils. One can link the rock layer they were found to specific geological time periods. These fossils usually have great preservation as well.

This particular ammonite fossil was cast with resin. I think that art is interesting in that it can be the simplest things and ideas that make remarkable pieces. Many of us could do this simply and effectively through 3D Printing, but this particular artist had the creativity to do it. The value of creativity is something to harp on continuously.

Think Evolution

In terms of the piece itself, the message is interesting. When this piece is placed near an octopus in water, an octopus will form itself within the shell. Octopus and ammonites are related in terms of species, so it is interesting to see how an octopus feels comfortable within this foreign shell. Octopus have grown out of the need for their shells through evolution, but this shows that they are comfortable using them still.

This piece was curated by Paola because of her thoughts on extinction and how it relates to humanity. We all are going to die at some point. This is our impending reality, but how do people act upon this? How do people change things for the better? If we know we shall die, what do we do to make our lives and the lives of others better?

I think that with this piece, my opinions come from a different perspective. I am intrigued by how the octopus is playing naturally with this resin cast piece. The octopus recognizes as something of familiarity. When one has an intuitive feel for something, what can explain that? I find it fascinating that something that is instinct still has a familiarity to a descendant or relative species way down the line.

Ammonite Shell

There are a large number of octopus species that devise shelters out of coconut and mollusk shells. The goal of this piece was to explore the effect of transmitted evolutionary knowledge. Inomata recreated an ammonite shell by leveraging 3D scanning to recreate a digital model of the shell.

Using 3D printing to do this artistic piece is very fascinating. I would love to know people’s opinions on this in particular. What should we be doing to prepare for extinction? What does this piece do in terms of shifting your perspective in the way you live?

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

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3D Printing News Briefs: October 25, 2019

We’re talking about art and business in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. An art installation at Millennium Park was created through the use of 3D printed molds, provided by Fast Radius. Farsoon has signed a joint development agreement with Rapid Manufacturing, and EVOK3D is partnering up with the Currie Group to accelerate its sales growth.

Fast Radius Makes 3D Printed Molds for Art Installation

Artist Edra Soto was commissioned to build an outdoor art installation in Chicago’s popular Millennium Park, which resulted in her freestanding Screenhouse, constructed by Navillus Woodworks out of over 400 custom-cast concrete blocks and opening today in the park’s Boeing Gallery North. Navillus enlisted the help of Fast Radius to create 3D printed molds for the blocks, which helped save on development time and money. The company printed the molds out of PA 12 material, using HP’s MJF technology. 3D printed lattice structures were used in the construction, which also helped reduce the weight of the piece.

“Our mission is to make new things possible to advance the human condition. I can think of no better way to serve that mission than helping bring Edra Soto’s beautiful design to life in Chicago’s Millennium Park, where it will be enjoyed by our fellow Chicagoans and visitors from around the world. This project with Navillus shows the potential of additively manufactured molds to redefine construction project design,” Fast Radius CEO Lou Rassey said in a case study about the project.

Farsoon and Rapid Manufacturing Sign Joint Development Agreement

PA12-based parts fabricated by Rapid Manufacturing on the beta-Flight-HT403P in Rümlang.

Stuttgart-based Farsoon Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of Chinese company Farsoon Technologies, has signed a joint development agreement for beta testing of its Flight technology with Rapid Manufacturing AG, headquartered in Rümlang, Switzlerland. Per the agreement, earlier this month Farsoon installed its new Flight-HT403P, with a 400 x 400 x 540 mm3 build cylinder and 500W fiber laser, at Rapid Manufacturing. After completing initial tests successfully, the Swiss company is now using the laser sintering system to make plastic PA12 components and parts with high resolution, low surface roughness, and good mechanical properties for its customers.

“We are impressed by the strong will power to increase the competitiveness of laser sintering, which Rapid Manufacturing is systematically implementing with the installation of our machine,” stated Dr. Dirk Simon, the Managing Director of Farsoon Europe GmbH.

EVOK3D and Currie Group Partnering

Australian company EVOK3D, which supplies and supports both professional and production 3D printing solutions and is the HP 3D Production Specialist Partner for the country, announced that it has signed a partnership equity agreement with Currie Group, a top end-to-end Graphic Arts service supplier in New Zealand and Australia. Currie Group provides and services high-quality printing equipment, and EVOK3D will leverage its management experience to continue growing its sales and support capability.

“3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable direct manufacturing technology. To meet the growing demand for these technologies we needed to scale the business and Currie Group is ideally positioned having pioneered digital disruption of the 2D print industry over the last 20 years. For our clients across education, design, industry and healthcare it means they can continue to invest with confidence,” stated Joe Carmody, the Managing Director for EVOK3D.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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Portugal: Minho’s Love is One of the Largest 3D Printed Art Installations Ever

Portugal has a spectacular new art installation to enjoy from Diverte. The ‘Amore Minhoto’ is the title gracing one of the largest installations ever created in their country. Serving as part of the cultural program of Estação Viana Shopping, ‘Pulsar Viana,’ the installation can be viewed at the mall through October 30th.

One of the second projects we have highlighted by Diverte in the past couple of years, this new piece translates to ‘Minho’s Love,’ and is comprised of:

  • Sculpture
  • Painting
  • Architecture
  • Music
  • Light

The massive 3D printed installation was inspired by the city’s connection to ‘everything that represents love.’ Considered a massive piece of technological art, the installation required five months to complete, with 3,000 hours of printing work, including 4648 LEDs and 350 meters of electrical cable. Both the structure and base of the artwork are steel, while the woodwork is composed of marine plywood and OSB on the benches. The rest of the installation is all 3D printed with PLA and 75+ meters of RGB LED strips.

The installation measures 4.2 meters high and 3 meters large. The heart, male and female figures, cubes, and lithophanes are all 3D printed.

“The reference to love is something that is inherent in Viana do Castelo. The heart is one of the symbols of the city, along with its regional costumes and pilgrimage (the biggest in country),” says Pedro Amaral Ribeiro, Diverte creative director.

Interact with the installation.

With a panel of 356 colored, retro cubes—and a lithophane face featuring the city of Viana do Castelo—Diverte explains in their press release sent to 3DPrint.com that ‘this has become the largest 3D printed piece in the country.’

“The installation has a heart with a door and a window – being a reference to a shelter. There is a couple there: she at the window, in love, and he sitting, looking at her. Both are dressed in the costume of the region, in a stylized version. The association of his love with his land, Minho, created the name of the piece,” says the artist responsible for the artistic piece.

The installation will also be a great attraction for the visitors to the mall as they can take part in piece too, interacting by using the control panel to go forth and change the colors and special light effects of the artwork. Not only that, the rear of the installation offers an inviting area for visitors to draw, enjoying cooperation and co-creation not only with the original artists of the piece but also with others who are passing through just like themselves, appreciating art and engaging in fun.

The details

3D printing has lent itself to the inspiration of many artists so far, with art installations around the world from light art to sophisticated brick architecture and the creation of many different lithophanes too. What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: Diverte; photos credit to Elsa Simões of NiT.pt]

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What is Metrology Part 20 – Processing

Processing

Hey everyone! So this series thus far has been a bunch of fun, and it gets more exciting with what we are doing today. Today I’ll be taking us through a basic tutorial in coding through the framework of the Processing API. I have had experience with this programming language and I believe it is an interesting medium for visualizations of various sorts. It can do awesome generative computerized art, and it can be the source of interesting projects when data and 3D environments are fused. I’ll give an informational overview of the platform as it pertains to 3D manipulation. 

Processing is an interesting platform as it is a software sketchbook in a sense. It is a language used for coding and applying it specifically to the visual arts. Processing has done a lot of promotion for software literacy within the visual arts field. It has also done similar promotion for visual literacy within the technology sector. They have built a large global community of students, artists, researchers, and hobbyists who use the platform for educational and prototyping purposes. 

Processing Tutorials

I personally started messing with Processing when I was in college. I had some skills in Python mostly through my physics courses, but I was working at my Center of Digital Media within my university. Being around digital media and artistic individuals got me curious as to see the combination of technical fields as well as the arts. When I was learning to code a bit more, I found the Processing platform and a large amount of YouTube tutorials. 

Generative Processing Art

Something of interest to me with the platform is that it is a simple interface. It also is not as intimidating of an environment compared to other development spaces. For someone who is interested in things such as image processing, it is the ideal platform to learn quickly. Combining the arts and technology seems disparate for a lot of people. These two fields however are extremely similar and they should not live in vacuums away from each other. 

Another great thing about Processing is the large portfolio of onsite tutorials that explain the basics to someone who has no experience with the platform. They did a great job of explaining what every command does within their environment. When learning to code, it is more of a learn as you go approach. When one needs a function, they will have to research online for the meaning of this function and how to execute it. Processing did a good job of centralizing their information through their website and online forum communities. 

P3D Mode in Processing

Processing’s power lies within its five render modes. These render modes are the default renderer, P2D, P3D, PDF, and SVG. The default renderer is the backbone of a lot of the programs done by Processing users. It is used for 2D drawing. The usage rates vary based on whether the other renders lack the definition of the size() parameter. The P2D renderer is an alternative to the default renderer for 2D images. The difference between these renderers is that P2D has a quicker runtime, but it sacrifices some visual quality for speed. The P3D renderer is used for drawing in three dimensional space. The PDF renderer is used for writing PDF files from Processing. The files can be scaled to various sizes and output with high resolutions. This renderer can also flatten 3D data into a 2D vector file as well. The SVG renderer does similar tasks as the PDF renderer, but the file format is an SVG. A lot of the renderer power for 3D imaging comes from utilizing the software of OpenGL that is supported on multiple GPUs to help speed up the drawing process. 

With this overview, I hope I have intrigued people for a couple of coding projects I will try to show off within the series.

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Make All the Things Part 2: Ring Creation and Casting a Wax Ring, Part 1

A curious mind and a makerspace results in interesting potential. Previously I had explained my intention to create a ring with the materials in my local MakerSpace of Pumping Station One. The last month was dedicated to a bunch of preparation and learning the process. It has been an immense experience that is still continuing, but I will inform everyone about the first developments of this project and follow ups as needed. 

Original Ring Design

Firstly, I was curious and wandering around Pumping Station One and learned about the Small Metals Area. I just saw the material there and realized what I could do almost instantaneously. I am a firm component of being able to create items for oneself. It is a very empowering mindset to realize that we can do things for ourselves. Coming up with an idea and driving it to completion is a great feeling and experience. Honestly, it is one of the best feelings I get within this world. But let’s stop my geeking out, and let’s get into the details.

I wanted a lion ring. I then put in substantial effort towards this goal. To create this ring I utilized carver’s wax initially for the body of the piece. Then I found a 3D printed lionhead online that I thought was stylish. This then was used for the front facing design of the model. I attached this onto the ring body with sticky wax in a uniform manner. This then created my prototypical design for a ring. The majority of the work done in this stage was dedicated to sanding, as well as molding the ring, to the specific weight I wanted to use. This work took a couple of days of crafting, but now that I understand the process more, it will take even less time than the next time I want to do this. 

Kiln

The next part of this project was filled with lots of hot wax and continuous failure. Sprues of hot wax are needed in terms of attaching a model. This model is plastic and wax, which means that it will be burned within a kiln for metal creation purposes. Chemistry is a fun thing, but I digress.

The sprues must be attached in almost a tree-like structure in order for an item to be cast from plastic or wax into a metal such as silver. This tree structure is placed in a container. In order to cast this, we utilize silicon powder. The silicon powder is weighed in terms of a conversion sheet that a jeweler would use. Then it is mixed with water in order to create a gel. This gel is placed into the aforementioned container and it is left there until it hardens. Once it hardens the container is prepped for placement within the kiln. Mind you, a kiln temperature is around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. So it is indeed a dangerous process if one is not careful.

Ring After

Once the container is taken out of the kiln, it is now important to understand the conversion of plastic or wax into metal. The tree like structure built is now flipped upside down. A metal of a choice is also melted at a very high temperature. Again, high temperatures are dangerous. Fortunately, I had the help of people at Pumping Station One. This metal is then poured into the container that was taken out of the kiln. The molten metal travels down the tree-like system and it effectively burns the plastic and wax. The silicon powder essentially holds the piece in place and creates a barrier so that the material does not dissipate and lose form. When the molten metal cools down, the container then may be taken to a water bath for cooling. This then concludes the first part of the process. What is needed after this is post-processing, and I will tackle that in a new article.

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Interview with Ganit Goldstein on Craft, Technology, Fashion & 3D Printing

Ganit Goldstein

Ganit Goldstein is a Designer whose interest lies in the intersection between Craft and Technology. Ganit studied Jewelry and Fashion. She received the Excellence Award from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel. Her work is focusing on new methods of incorporating 3D Printing into the world of Textiles, Shoes and Fashion. In her Collection ‘Between The Layers’, she created garments and shoes, inspired by her study of ‘IKAT’ weaving in Tokyo, Japan. Her collection received great interest and immediate press recognition, and was presented at Exhibitions and Museums around the world including Milan Design week, New York Textile Month, Asian Art Musuem – San Francisco, Holon Design Museum, ‘TALENTE’ exhibition in Munich and more. Ganit Goldstein believes in an interdisciplinary approach to design- mixing Tradition with Futuristic techniques – 3D printing & 3D body scanning.

Give us some background on your experiences so far.

I studied at Bezalel Academy of Arts in Design and majored in the department of Fashion and Jewelry. Since my first year of study, I was fascinated by using 3D design software, especially because of the design-freedom it allowed me. During my studies, I have often incorporated tools from other disciplines into my work, whether it is CNC, laser cutting, 3D scanning and 3D printing. The use of different tools and mindsets helped me discover my own desig language.

During my third year of study, I was expected to participate in an exchange student program. My decision was to apply for the opposite direction of what I was used to. Meaning, the opposite of the cutting-edge technology field. I found my way to the Craft Department ’Textile Art’ program at Tokyo University of the Arts – GEIDAI. During this time, every single process of my designs was made using traditional handmade techniques. Meaning, I turned completely low-tech, changing my entire thinking structures and patterns. That was very significant for me in terms of expanding my horizons and changing my view on design. Talk about stepping out of your comfort zone! When I finished my studies in Tokyo, I went back to Jerusalem to finish my final project. That’s when I decided to combine the traditional methods I recently learned, with the latest technology I was working on before. This was translating both worlds of the past and future into one design language.

Since my graduation, I was lucky to participate as a finalist in four international competitions, presented my projects in New York Textile Month, Hong Kong Fashion Week, Asian Art Museum- San Francisco and ‘Talente’ exhibition in Munich. These competitions helped me a lot to reach my goals, discover possibilities, and meet great people that influence my work until this day.

Craft and Technology Outfit

When did you first get excited about fashion and design?

I was excited to mix the borders between art and fashion, back in high school, when my project consisted of dresses made from broken glass and metal wires. I was looking at garments as a platform to make art pieces, that aren’t necessarily meant to be worn, but rather a manifestation of aesthetics, culture, language, and design. 

One exhibition that is very powerful in my memory is a solo exhibition (2014) of Iris Van  Herpen at the Design Museum Holon. The exhibition was very special and it featured beautiful outfits, that crossed borders between art, fashion, and futuristic techniques. It was influential for me because it dealt, or perhaps answered the question of whether fashion can be presented at museums as art pieces.  

When you did your first 3D printing project with fashion?

As part of my second-year curriculum study, we were asked to reconstruct costumes from the 18th- 19th centuries. I was asked to build an entire costume, made up of 7 different layers, just as it was made back in the history of fashion. The dress I was assigned to reconstruct is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Costume Institute collections) – from the year 1870. This decade was a “golden decade” for lace dresses.  In the next semester, we were asked to think about the outfit in a modern perspective, and I was focusing on the lace. I decided to design and create a 3D lace of our times, based on algorithms printed with hard material, combining flexible properties inside the printed part. This was the first time I used 3D printing as an integral working method in my designs, and that’s when I discovered the huge potential in using algorithms, software and parametric design in the process of my work.

During my studies, and especially due to this project, I began working closely with the Institute of Chemistry – Casali Center at the Hebrew University, for innovative research in 3D printing. The research group, led by Prof. S. Magdassi, focuses on materials science, nanotechnology and their applications in a variety of fields such as 3D and functional printing.

This collaboration gave me the opportunity to work with great researchers, and thus better understand the different approach for material research studies, working on innovations in the field of 3D printing.

How important is the differentiation of fully created 3D printed items vs hybridized fashion products from textiles and 3D printed material?

The harmony of putting together two different worlds makes the innovation approach, and bring forward a new way of thinking about design. I believe in taking the essence of the traditional techniques from our past and translate those methods to the new technology- a different point of view from the traditional technique inside the process of the newest technology.

I feel it is important to make the hybrid of textiles and 3D printing together because it has the power to bring 3D printing to a much more wearable level. I also understand that fully 3D printed fashion is still in a building stage, and the combination of traditional textile methods helps this method is growing quicker. Hybridized craft methods in 3D printing are important in my opinion because we should not lose sight of the traditional processes. Technology will always move forward, but craft methods can disappear easily. I believe it is important for the designers also to remember the traditional working processes, not to lose the history of crafts. Bridging the craft methods and technology to move forward with the latest technology.

Craft and Technology Shoe

What are some of your favorite projects that you have worked on in 3D printing?

Seeing the first 3D printed multi-color shoes that were made in collaboration with Stratasys was an extremely exciting moment. In these shoes, my aim was to create a fabric-like texture inside the printing process. I couldn’t hope for better results. Since my graduation presentation, the shoes were presented in exhibitions worldwide (the last exhibition was in Milan Design Week 2019). Most of the people I have met during the exhibitions were sure the shoes are made from fabric and not from 3D printing. The shoes are now part of the Holon Design Museum permanent collection, they were the first pair I made together with Stratasys. We made a few more designs, but nothing compares to the success and joy that was brought by my first pair.

One of the most exciting projects that has had a huge impact on my projects so far, was working in collaboration with Intel ‘RealSense’ studio in Jerusalem. We incorporated their technology into the design process by 3D scanning an entire body thus allowing to create customized fashion and accessories, designed for a specific person. We also launched together an AR App (made together with Yoav from RealSense Studio) that demonstrates the 3D printing process using a hologram featured on the reality).

Another very exciting collection will be soon launched together in collaboration with Prusa Research company for FDM processes of wearable shoes. I worked closely with their maker-lab, and we made huge progress, the shoes are 100% wearable with multi-color and flexible materials!

Stratasys and Goldstein Collaboration

What is currently being worked on for you within the 3D printing world?

I am a great believer in collaboration and partnership with great people and open-minded companies. I want to continuously break boundaries, that is my core value, and I understand that in order to do that, I must turn to other disciplines and utilize what they have to offer. The ability to combine both worlds of past and future technique has a big impact on both my past and current projects. This is my take on the future of the 3D printing world.

Harnessing the power of the new technology and utilizing traditional techniques helped me create my own design language. I think that the ability to be open minded in the design process enables me to achieve my goals. I am a great believer of trying new methods, and not putting limits. This works because the design process has ups and downs, and from some failures and material tryout, you can reach better-designed results.

How was it to partner with Stratasys so early on in your journey?

My 3D printing journey started in a small room in my parent’s house, which I filled with 2 desktop printers. That room became my very own printing lab, where I got to experience, try-out materials and utilize the good old “trial and error” method.

I was fortunate enough to gain that experience, because I believe that is what enabled me to work with a “tip of the spear” company such as Stratasys.

The collaboration with Stratasys established after I had many “flight hours”, examples and tryouts. We partnered up during my last year studies. As my vision was to integrate colors inside my printed projects, They allow me to carry out my vision and turn it into reality. I’ve been incredibly lucky, and honored, especially knowing it came at such an early stage of my career. And it also makes me very proud.

I worked closely with the R&D team, and therefore, we shared the same vision of pushing the boundaries of the technology through design research. During the making process, we made some very interesting tryouts with the ability to control any voxel (3D pixel). At the same time, our research was growing, I made it into the final stage of numerous worldwide competitions and exhibitions (‘Talente’ & Milan Design Week), so we were continuing our collaboration for specific events that lead to new developments and exciting processes in each of the projects.

Woven 3D Print Shoes

Do you wish to branch out of just 3D printing? 

I wish to further develop in the field of augmented/virtual reality.

3D printing is already well integrated into our lives and in many industries. From medicine to automobiles, furniture, military equipment, housing, fashion, etc.

I believe in the future of 3D printing and its applications. I also believe that 3D printing is directly linked to 3D scanning and ARVR applications and that this technology will completely alter the user experience in public sites and will be adding new features to the digital medium.

The adoption of the technology by museums to reach new levels of audience experience- multi sensational- rather than just viewing. I believe AR will soon be in every museum, using the newest technology for public use, and even controlling our experiences in different senses- not just by looking at an art piece.

I’m also very interested in the smart- textile field, adding new reactions for textile by using programming software. I find especially the 4D printing process very interesting topic to work on, creating 3D objects that change their shape over time.

What are some key skills needed to be a designer within the 3D printing world?

I believe that the main key is determination. Not to be afraid of failure. 3D printing can be very attractive on the one hand, but on the other hand, it is a relatively new technology, there are some limits and tons of failures in the making process. It takes time unti you figure out the path to the final project, it takes time and extra effort.

Being a Maker- For me, to be a designer in the 3D printing world means to be a ‘maker’, I believe in hard work from the beginning. You need to be experimental with many technology techniques. Building your own printer and so on are examples of how I describe a ‘maker’.

Professionalism and expertise- 3D designing and printing is just like programming. You must “study the language”. You must learn the 3D software skills, be an expert in your field. Luckily, in our times, this information is approachable by everybody via the internet. It is possible to study everything you set your mind to, every single feature is fully covered.

Independence and self-confidence – I believe to fully be in control of your designs, anyone that wishes to be a designer in the 3D printing world, should do the work on his own, and not rely on others people’s skills. The making process changes the way the final object will appear, and for me, this is the main freedom space, that you have the ability to bring your design from your imagination into reality and constantly improve it upon your request.

Who are organizations you want to partner or collaborate with in the future?

I want to continue my work with the partners that supported me and have been fantastic in our collaboration: Stratasys, Prusa Research and Swarovski.

I believe the future of my work also lays in collaborating with companies that have new technological developments and have design potential that can become a platform for combining my design visions.  I would love to work with researchers of innovation in material research such as Neri Oxman and designers working in the field such as Iris Van Herpen. I’d like to extend the collaboration for shoe design with companies that develop 3D printed shoes such as Adidas.

Designers are not fully on the 3D printing wave just yet, how does it feel to be an early adopter?

It’s extremely exciting to be a part of a relatively small group that consists of designers and makers, who are investigating into how design can be developed in a sustainable and innovative way, using 3D printing technology.

This era is the most stirring time for pushing the boundaries of this technology, and I’m looking forward to working on new projects that will inspire me to think about “re-inventing” our future.

I feel that there is so much space for designers to grow in this field, working together with researchers and scientists all while keeping an open mind for new opportunities.

I feel blessed and extremely lucky to have become an early adopter in this field. It is a magical time filled with opportunities to seize and enjoy and to continue being excited from any new features, ideas, and projects.

I think 3D printing has great potential in so many fields, and design is one of the most exciting uses for this technology, clearing the way for further development of Art and Design (and maybe the concept of fashion and design as art), presenting each artist’s point of view the production process, from imagination to reality.  

Where do you see the field of 3D printing and fashion in 5 years?

I see 3D body scan as a key process that will be an integral part of any fashion development department. I believe that 5 years from now, personalization will receive a different meaning and will bring a drastic change in the fashion industry, moving from mass production to one of a kind customizable piece.

In my opinion, another upcoming major change that will take fashion design forward is the ability to design your own clothing- the customer will be his own designer by, ‘pushing buttons’ (by simplifying the design and programming software) for producing his favorite design.

I’ve also found the development of flexible material as a very important process for 3D printed fashion, and the development of new material will be a major step for 3D printed textile to make 3D printing – wearable.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

With 3D printing and 3D scanning, we can utilize the new technology to develop tailored pieces and fit to measure clothing for individuals. I want to take this a step further and produce customized clothes, based on body scans, ready-to-wear fashion and I hope to have designers and partners in the future, bringing innovative approach into daily production methods of fashion.

In the next two years, I will be studying at the Royal College of Arts in London, in the master’s program for smart textile developments called ‘Soft Systems’.

I believe this upcoming period will greatly influence and affect my career, and I hope that 5 years from today I will be able to continue developing my design language, and open my own brand, start-up, lab and continue researching and developing the wearable technology field. I hope to continue being thrilled and excited from any new project, any new printing method and constantly breaking the boundaries of the latest technology 

Generative Design Methods Combine 3D Printing & Organic Evolution

 “Go take your lessons from nature, that’s where our future lies.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Virginia Commonwealth University student Mohammad Jawad takes a forward-looking approach to manufacturing, as 3D printing offers not only infinite potential for design and creation but also the possibility of ‘growing’ designed objects with biomaterials.

Jawad compares the natural world, where organisms grow in a pure manner, to that of the human environment where we create so much from artificial materials which are then put together in factories. Undeniably, manufacturing and mass production, along with the assembly press, have feathers in our caps for decades.

Mass production promotes sameness among objects, along with subtractive technology as parts are made from cutting or chipping away at materials until a product is shaped. While this may have been a novel idea at first, today, our environment is saturated with chemicals and pollution, affecting both nature and man.

Jawad proposes that while the natural and man-made worlds may be extreme opposites, they should still be viewed as ‘a paradox of unity and duality,’ with an emphasis on how they complement one another. The author also sees 3D printing as a catalyst for bringing together nature and design mechanisms, ‘fusing’ them to the advantage of both the natural world and humanity.

The author is a fan of Neri Oxman, quoting her regarding the industrial revolution:

“Assembly lines have dictated a world made of standard parts framing the imagination of designers and builders who have been taught to think about their design objects and systems in terms of assemblies of parts with distinct functions. The assumption that parts are made of a single material and fulfill predetermined specific functions is deeply rooted in design and usually goes unquestioned; it is also enforced by the way that industrial supply chains work.”

Like nature, design is always evolving—via human creativity, inspiration, and ambition. In generative design, Jawad explains that nature is imitated with a variety of different digital parameters. Many users may be familiar with software like Python or Grasshopper, which can be adjusted to the complexity level of organic forms, along with connecting in real time to create structures related to natural stimuli like the sun or moisture in the air.

“The intricate forms, which are generated digitally, can only be fabricated using additive manufacturing, where objects are created by depositing material layer-by-layer,” says Jawad.

“Additive manufacturing resembles natural growth in the sense that it slowly builds an object, layer-by-layer. By integrating natural materials and processes with additive manufacturing, this thesis proposes a hybridized process for producing objects in a post-industrial world.”

Saltygloo

Vegan Design

Jawad highlights several art studios, ending with a glimpse into his own work:

  • Emerging Objects, by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, is a 3D printing studio centered around making large-scale components and architectural structures. In his thesis, Jawad features ‘Saltygloo,’ a pairing of 3D printed materials with salt taken from San Francisco Bay.
  • Erez Navi Pana created an exhibit called ‘Vegan Design,’ meant to support animal rights and the elimination of animal products. In his work, he experimented with vegan and natural materials; for example, one aspect of his exhibit shows off wooden stools he created and then placed in saltwater for several months until it was coated in crystallized salt.
  • Markus Kayser exhibits ‘The Solar Sinter,’ which is a 3D printer using solar energy to melt sand into glass—involving a Fresnel lens that raises the temperature to 2900 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • The Mediated Matter Group of MIT Media Lab has created ‘The Silk Pavilion,’ inspired by the silkworm’s cocoon. To create the exhibit even more realistically, the team fitted silkworms with sensors so they could study their movement while weaving.
  • Gavin Munro has created ‘Zen 3D Printing,’ an organic process using the elements like an open-air factory, demonstrated in ‘Full Grown.’

The Silk Pavilion

Full Grown

As for his own work, Jawad states:

“My thesis research combined two key processes: natural crystallization, and 3D printing. This combination informed the conceptual framework, preliminary exploration and final outcomes. Together, I was able to pair nature’s own 3D generation technique—mineral crystallization—with the digital control of 3D printing, to develop new fabrication possibilities.”

Works like ‘Desert Rose’ are made of beautiful crystals from Qatar, along with numerous other stunning pieces where Jawad employs his generative methodology in combining 3D printing and natural crystals to make items that are useful.

“The possibility of hybridizing natural processes with digital fabrication provides a point of departure for fresh thinking, opening new possibilities for the future of design and production,” concludes Jawad.

3D printing offers potential in a variety of different industry dynamics, with some users on the side of being able to mass manufacture more affordably and efficiently, while others are encouraged by the idea of being able to produce on-demand parts and customized products—bringing an end to large warehouses and stress on the environment overall. Find out more about growing generatively designed products here.

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘Manufactured by Nature: Growing Generatively Designed Products’]