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3D Printing Used to Decorate Biodegradable KOFFINs that are Personalized for the Deceased

While the way we live is vastly different from the way we did 100, 50, and even 20 years ago, the way we say goodbye to loved ones when they’ve passed away is still pretty much the same. Funerals are not easy for a number of reasons, but the last thing on anyone’s mind should be the cost of these emotional events and ceremonies; unfortunately, that’s not often the case. According to SunLife, funeral costs have shot up over 70% in the last decade.

With this in mind, Koffin, a Liverpool startup founded by artist Gina Czarnecki in 2014, is working with business program LCR 4.0 and using Industry 4.0 technology – specifically 3D printing and advanced material testing – to help cut down on the cost of funerals with customizable, biodegradable eco-coffins.

“Funeral prices are increasing drastically, and people deserve the right to a personalised send-off that isn’t going to break the bank. Planning a funeral can be a difficult time, but we’ve found that having something tangible to take control of and make your own improves people’s wellbeing and peace of mind,” said Czarnecki.

“The work with LCR 4.0 has enabled us to test our design that creates a cost-effective alternative that emits less CO2 emissions than a natural plant.”

Together with brand consultant Clare Barry, Czarnecki set out to redesign the coffin – typically a narrow wooden box. But a KOFFIN, according to the startup’s website, is “a light, eco-friendly capsule made from bioplastic,” which is definitely different from the more traditional, pricey Victorian-style coffins we’re used to seeing.

“The way we currently bury or cremate our loved ones is poisoning the earth,” the Koffin website states.

“Besides… your funeral is your last hurrah, right?

“…So shouldn’t your coffin be as unique as you are?”

The 100% biodegradable KOFFINS were created to help people take back their rights to a personal, affordable funeral. They are made with a lignin-based biopolymer and don’t require any glues or metals to hold them together. They produce less ash residue than other coffins, are leak-proof without having to use wax linings, and will decompose in the earth just like natural tree wood. Additionally, the oval capsules can be completely personalized with different colors, hand-written messages, photographs, and a variety of attachable, 3D printed decorations.

During the development of the KOFFIN prototype, the startup was in need of expert technical support during testing. So Koffin turned to LCR 4.0, partially funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and its partners Sensor City and Liverpool John Moores University to test its inexpensive, sustainable prototype, and use 3D printing for added personalization.

“Koffin is unlike any other start-up that we’ve helped to date,” said Jaime Mora-Fernandez, LCR 4.0 product design engineer at Sensor City. “The work carried out illustrates how new technologies can help businesses in a wide variety of sectors transform the way they approach the design and manufacturing process.”

The LCR 4.0 team at Sensor City helped Koffin complete a finite element analysis (FEA) of the design to find the right material thickness to withhold sufficient pressure. This helps reduce material costs, which will trickle down to lower consumer costs. Then, the partners tested the prototype, and completed a report that concluded the material’s thickness would be robust enough for its purpose.


After four long years of development, the startup has officially gone into production with its first run of biodegradable, customizable, eco-friendly KOFFINs.

“Our involvement with the LCR 4.0 scheme has resulted in outputs being produced in a timely and efficient manner, using expert advice and linking disciplines seamlessly,” said Czarnecki.

Starting today, 20 of the KOFFINs, decorated through a national public call-out, will be displayed at the Oratory, next to the Anglican Cathedral, in Liverpool; some of them even bear some interesting 3D printed decorations. Soon, the startup will also launch a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise the necessary funds to take the KOFFINs to market.

 

This isn’t the first time that 3D printing has been utilized in the death care industry. We’ve seen 3D printed urns, 3D printed busts of the deceased, and even 3D printed jewelry made from the ashes of our loved ones. As 3D printing also comes into play often with sustainability efforts, the KOFFINs seem to be a perfect mix of life and death.

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

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Twikit and BMW Offer Flashy Customization Options for Your Next Car

While many automotive manufacturers have been using 3D printing in their design and manufacturing processes, BMW has been a leader in the field, using the technology for over 25 years. The company has used 3D printing for everything from roof racks to more advanced concepts. There are plenty of reasons for BMW and other automotive manufacturers to turn to 3D printing, like time and cost savings and the ability to produce lightweight, efficient, complex parts, but there are also some benefits of 3D printing that are simply fun, like customization.

BMW’s new MINI can be customized for users in a multitude of different ways, such as 3D printed patterns, pictures, shapes, and letters on the dashboard and glove box. You can even request an LED light that projects your name on the street when you get out of the car, according to BMW. The company is the first to take automotive personalization to this level, and it’s doing so with the help of Twikit, a Belgian company whose software platform emphasizes 3D printed customization possibilities.

BMW MINI customers can design their own customized cars online, and the digital files are sent to the production facility, where they are manufactured using 3D printing, laser cutting and other advanced technologies.

“Twikit technology was a bull’s eye right from the start,” said Twikit Co-Founder Gijs Hoppenbrouwers. “Since its foundation, we have been working with major players in various industries. Innovative players in the medical industry can now use our technology to make prostheses and orthoses on a large scale quickly. Customization for a mass audience is also perfectly possible for jewellery, furniture, windows and doors, electronics, … Companies discover that they can personalize products with modern, high-tech production techniques such as 3D printing and laser cutting, tailored to each individual customer.”

Twikit was founded in 2012 by Hoppenbrouwers, Martijn Joris and George Lieben. The company now has 33 employees and is becoming active worldwide, particularly in Europe and the United States. Besides working with BMW, Twikit also offers its personalized production services for prosthetics and orthotics, jewelry, electronics, windows and doors, and more. The company prides itself on being able to help companies smoothly and seamlessly bring together multiple digital production techniques such as 3D printing, CNC machining and laser cutting.

Will automotive customization catch on? We’ll have to wait and see. Will people value their own personal touches so much that they’ll be willing to pay €119 to have LED lights announce their presence any time they leave their car? Most people will likely still be swayed more by things like advanced safety features and seat warmers, but some certainly will be attracted to such customization offerings, and Hoppenbrouwers believes that many people will – that the future will be personalized.

“More and more products resemble each other, and not only in the automotive sector,” he said. “Allowing customers to personalize products is a way to stand out from the competition. The possibilities are endless. We reconcile production on a large scale with the desire of people to still have a unique product.”

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

 

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Kite and Layer Team Up to Provide Customizable 3D Printed Eyewear

Kite, an eyewear brand based in London, is partnering with Layer, industrial designer Benjamin Hubert‘s design agency, to provide 3D printed eyewear that fits the exact measurements of a customer’s face. The modular KiteONE eyewear range was officially launched last month at the DesignJunction contemporary interior design exhibition, which is part of the London Design Festival, though it won’t be available in stores until the spring of 2019.

Hubert told Dezeen, “KiteONE is the most tailored eyewear available, offering you both a high degree of comfort and aesthetic options.

“Wrapped in a highly intuitive service, it also has the potential to be super accessible and aims to bring more people into the creative process.”

The new service, which is available with multiple custom details and specifications, ensures a perfect fit because the eyeglasses can be fabricated to fit the proportions and size of any customer’s face. Layer said that this amount of customization “is a first in the eyewear sector.” So just how does the KiteONE line fit so well? The answer is simple: 3D scanning.

Customers can visit a Kite store to take advantage of the service which uses a handheld scanner to take 3D scans of their head and face. The scans will record several specific measurements, including head and nose width, ear positioning, and the distance between the person’s pupils.

Layer also designed the KiteONE app for the new service, which is then used to visualize the customer’s head for a live glasses fitting on the screen. All of the measurements recorded by the 3D scanner are used to set the dimensions of the temple and eyewear length, in order to ensure that perfect fit.


The scanning software in the app allows makes it possible for customers to further customize their frames by making small adjustments, such as altering the lens form’s softness so it better suits the shape of their face. Having worn glasses since kindergarten, and also having a rather long face shape, this sounds like an excellent feature.

Once the completed pair of eyeglasses has been digitally created, the app sends the file to one of Kite’s local suppliers for a three-week process of 3D printing, finishing, and dying. Then, a Kite stylist assembles all of the 3D printed components in the store.

There are three different color options available in the new KiteONE collection: brick red, charcoal, and moss. In addition, customers can customize their 3D printed pair of eyeglasses even further by choosing to have silver or rose gold hinges and branding details added, or printing a bespoke message inside the temple of the frames.

The whole range in the collection is actually based on one single, classic frame style, but one that can be customized in multiple ways. Nylon material is used to make the 3D printed frame, and the integrated nose pads are made out of  breathable silicone rubber, with a matte finish, in order to reduce the contact point with the person’s face and lower any build-up of sweat and heat.

Users have a choice between four different temple style options for the frame, which gives them the option of tailoring their glasses to improve their fit, or so they are more well suited for a particular activity. The Classic option offers a minimalist, clean style and is completely made from 3D printed material.

However, the Tip, Cord Tip, and Sport Tip styles are all made from a high-grade injection-molded plastic, rather than being entirely 3D printed. The first heats the temple tips during the final fitting for a tighter fit – this way, they can be more closely tailored to a customer’s head size.

The Cord Tip comes with an integrated textile cord so the glasses can hang down around the wearer’s neck, and the Sport Tip includes an integrated, elasticized sports band, so the glasses will be held in place during any sporting activities in which the wearer participates.

“This technology platform signals a move towards a more modern, adaptable way of buying eyewear; a personalised service which is built around the individual, their life, and their personal style,” said Kite Eyewear Co-Founder and CEO Amar Radia.

The eyeglass industry is just one of many that’s starting to rely more heavily on the use of 3D printing to offer product customization. The technology has been used to make smart eyeglasses, augmented reality sunglasses, and even *GASP* affordable eyewear.

Would you wear these 3D printed glasses? Let us know! Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.