May 20, 2015 | By Simon
Although we’ve seen how 3D printing can help bring a product design to market through the process of rapid prototyping as a step in the iterative design process, there are still relatively few professionally-designed products that use 3D printing as a final method of fabrication.
It should come with little surprise then, that some 3D printer manufacturers have partnered up with design studios to help create modern and high-quality products that are capable of being 3D printed and not look like they are still in a “rapid prototyping stage”. Perhaps most famously, MakerBot teamed up with the Martha Stewart brand to design a collection of housewares back in 2014, among other examples.
More recently, Belgium-based 3D printing software and service provider Materialise has teamed up with Finnish design studio KAYIWA to create a series of 3D printed cloth racks called DINO.
Aiming to blur the line between design and art, KAYIWA’s approach to the modern clothing racks were to put functional aesthetics at the forefront of their design; the sophisticated and eye-catching functional furnishing piece can fit in a foyer, lounge, cloakroom, walk-in closet, wardrobe, or a fashion boutique.
“During the last decade, 3D printing technology advanced considerably, which allowed the true vision for DINO to be realized,” says Lincoln Kayiwa, Designer and Founder of KAYIWA design studio. “In line with KAYIWA’s sustainability values, hangers are produced only to meet the exact demand. The remaining polyamide powder from the laser-sintered parts is reused. Nothing goes to waste.”
The custom hangers can be made in varying heights for a variety of different users or clothing types, leaving hanging space for long coats or making garments easier to reach for those who may not have an extendable reach - including children or those in wheelchairs. In keeping true to their modern design aesthetic, KAYIWA designed the hangers to be suspended along an electro-polished stainless steel bar with spacers in between to keep the hangers organized while allowing them to comfortably move back and forth.
Over the course of developing the DINO, the designers at KAYIWA worked closely with the design and engineering team at Materialise to bring the innovative 3D printed hanger system to life.
“Design is often the key to success for a 3D Printing project. Together with the customer, we modified the original shapes in order to come to designs that are ready for additive manufacturing. This guaranteed a perfect and repeatable quality that meets KAYIWA’s standards,” said Karel Honings, Project Manager at Materialise.
Currently, the 3D printed DINO clothes rack is available in three models: straight, wavy and modular, as well as in eight KAYIWA standard colors (black, blue, green, orange, red, violet, white and yellow). Additionally, the rack can be further customized to match an existing room style or brand identity for corporate use.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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