Oct 6, 2015 | By Alec
Increasingly, even the world of furniture design is becoming aware of 3D printing technology, though most examples of printed furniture don’t exactly look like they’ve been FDM 3D printed. Layers are sanded off, or hidden beneath cloth or other components. But is that completely necessary? Fortunately, Australian student and industrial designer Ryan Pennings has decided to completely embrace the layered look. Ryan’s Percy stools are fantastic and brightly colored creations that – with the help of industrial 3D printing – proudly show off really thick layers.
Ryan is currently studying Industrial Design at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, who will be getting his Bachelor’s later this year. As he explains, he is obsessed with large-scale robotic 3D printing and working with unusual materials such as chocolate and candy. That fascination has inspired a series of commercial and research projects that focus on large-scale 3D printing through algorithmic design.
And these cool Percy Stools should be seen in that perspective. They were specifically made for a design project for the honours component of Ryan’s Bachelor program, and explore the algorithmic design process through the lens of furniture design. ‘The combination of algorithmic design and robotic fabrication showcases the possibilities that are opening up to Industrial Designers in digital design and fabrication techniques,’ the promising designer says.
As he goes on to explain, the Percy Stools are individually generated by an algorithm, based on a standardized form. Through a combination of strict and loose guidelines, tool paths for the robotic 3D printer are created. ‘The strict rules on the outside of the piece maintain the products topology while the loose rules on the inside add visually striking and functional support to the furniture,’ Ryan says. The 3D printer in question is the massive industrial Kuka robot, that has been equipped with a plastic granule extruder capable of 3D printing plastics at a rate of 6 kg per hour. The robot itself is housed in the RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne, and was assembled by Ryan himself.
Thanks to a massive reach of 3m x 2m x 1.5m, this machine is perfect for 3D printing furniture. Specifically, Ryan used PLA granules, with each of the Percy Stools weighing about five to six kg. And in each case, the thick layers can be clearly distinguished, but that just completes the look of the stools. If you happen to be in Australia, you can check out these stools for yourself in the RMIT University Industrial Design Graduate Exhibition at the RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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