July 21, 2015 | By Simon
Although 3D printed jewelry has been among the most widely shared, printed and used form of 3D printed objects since the desktop 3D printer revolution took off, there are also a number of beautiful jewelry designs that may not have been 3D printed - but would not exist without the aid of 3D printing technologies. Additionally, slews of talented jewelry designers have shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to creating new and innovative jewelry designs using 3D printing in their design process.
More recently, LuxMea, a multidisciplinary design studio specializing in innovative concepts & global strategies in Cambridge, MA, has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for an award-winning design concept that transforms crumpled scrap paper by 3D printing called Skræp.
According to the designers, the design was inspired by the “chaotic beauty and futility of crumpled scrap papers” and is an exploration of designing a digital force model with the ability to accurately calculates random palm-force to create the crumpling dynamics of papers. With the aid of the traditional lost wax casting jewelry making technique, each part of the process is unpredictable and thus, reveals a unique piece for each design.
“Skraep is a jewelry concept with a deconstructed form inspired by the futile aesthetics reflected in a crumbled scrap of paper,” the team explains, “With LuxMea’s unmatched accuracy in 3D printing procedures, the charm and playfulness of crumpled paper can be recreated in a variety of materials with economic efficiency, allowing it to be enjoyed by consumers at affordable prices.”
The project, which started in December of 2014, combines multiple 3D technology techniques to create the final, wearable object including digital modeling, 3D printing, and traditional jewelry making techniques. The force used to simulate the paper crumpling can is controlled during the digital modeling stage before exporting the final model to be 3D printed in wax. Once the final 3D print is created, a number of metals including gold and steel are used to create the desired piece.
“The most challenging part was to create a physics engine to objectively capture the extraordinary mathematical and structural complexity of crumpled paper,” the team further explains.
“Extensive research has been done to create it, and intensive iteration was practiced during the refinement steps to reach perfection of the stimulation process that generates the architectural inside structure and surface crease and folds of crumpled paper, whereas the first versions were closer to crumpled aluminum sheet.”
With over three weeks left to go in their campaign to raise $50,000, there is still plenty of time to purchase your own piece. Interested backers can take their pick from a variety of designs and materials including a white, red or yellow-colored plastic toy version of Skræp for $35, a set of three steel toys for $200, a 14K gold-plated pendant (in rose gold, white gold or yellow gold) for $338 and a gold-plated cuff for $468.
“Frustration... Failure ... Futility,” the team says on their Kickstarter page.
“These are the words you might normally associate with a crumpled piece of paper. But take a closer look and you'll start to notice additional characteristics: Complexity, Uniqueness, Unpredictability, Ethereality … We longed for those innocent days of childhood when we threw crumpled paper with words we couldn’t speak out loud. And we want to bring those sweet memories back.”
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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What a beautiful piece of art!
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