Jan 9, 2018 | By Julia
As CES 2018 ramps up for another year in Las Vegas, thousands of makers, businesses, and tech heads are busy scouring the conference for the newest and hottest in 3D printing technology. But despite all the (well deserved) CES hype, one of the most exciting 3D printed designs we’ve seen today is actually coming from across the States, at the annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Orlando, Florida. As unveiled earlier today, metal 3D printing specialist 3rd Dimension has lent its technical expertise to luxury kitchen and bath brand KALLISTA in order to create the beautiful new Grid sink faucet.
Produced by 3rd Dimension, the Grid faucet was printed using 3D Systems’ acclaimed ProX®DMP 320 high-performance metal additive manufacturing system. As the first of its kind in the world, this state-of-the-art faucet is more than a novelty piece of 3D printing for the kitchen; it’s effectively a perfect marriage between function and design. The faucet’s unique cubic geometry, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, pairs seamlessly with the 3D printed spout, enabling the KALLISTA designers to create an open form with discreet interior channels that allow water to flow easily through the base.
As KALLISTA design studio manager Bill McKeone explains, this manufacturing arrangement allowed his team complete freedom of design. "Designers usually need to consider a manufacturing process and they have to design around that process," McKeone says. "By choosing to produce this faucet via 3D printing, we opened ourselves to limitless design possibilities. 3D Systems' breadth of materials and technologies allowed us the freedom to create a unique, functional faucet which would not have been possible with a traditional manufacturing process."
The sleek faucet set was produced by 3rd Dimension, an Indiana-based company rapidly making a name for itself in metal 3D printing thanks to its specialized technique of 3D direct metal printing. For this collaboration, the 3rd Dimension team opted to use 3D Systems’ renowned ProX®DMP 320 system. The faucets were also printed in 3D Systems’ LaserForm 316L, a high quality stainless steel 316 powder material that ensures no rust or corrosion will ever beset this luxury kitchen appliance.
Since this was KALLISTA’s first foray into 3D printing, the 3rd Dimension team led the designers through a specialized program to best develop the as-designed concept for the 3D printing process. This type of strategic design development meant that KALLISTA’s designers could avoid common delays seen in production tooling, and effectively expedite the entire process. According to company representatives, the parts were produced in a matter of mere hours, thanks in large part to 3rd Dimension’s experience with the 3D Systems metal printer.
The results are certainly impressive. Beyond the Grid faucet’s very sleek looking design, and what promises to be a hand-washing experience unlike any other, the effective integration of metal 3D printing into the entire design process has resulted in a product that simply could not be made any other way. While this may be only an early case of the kitchen appliance industry turning to 3D printing, it already speaks volumes. From our perspective, the KALLISTA-3rd Dimension collaboration belies a bright future for innovative industrial designers everywhere.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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https://www.3ders.org/articles/20160120-redefining-luxury-meet-american-standards-first-ever-3d-printed-metal-faucet-collection.html
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