Blog Archives - Page 13 of 16 - BigRep Industrial 3D Printers

Bionic Propeller: Nature inspiring innovation

November 29, 2022March 7, 2018

Over millions of years, species of plants and animals have evolved to survive the elements, fly higher, run faster, grow taller, protect themselves when vulnerable. The lessons we learn from nature can often be applied in designing industrial objects.

A new e-book by BigRep explores how botanical and zoological research can provide a foundation for bionic design: drawing on elements within nature to optimize products and technologies with 3D printing. In the summer of 2017, BigRep decided to explore the potential of propeller production based on bionic principles, using its powerful 3D printer The ONE.

Inspired by a propeller innovation from the Technical University of Berlin (TU), BigRep Industrial Designer Florian Schärfer developed a Bionic Propeller model that combined two key bionic research principles to make a conventional design more efficient.

The propeller design has loop ends with no end part, based on the pinions of bird wings, which, when splayed out, enable birds to glide with ease and low-noise emission through the air. Furthermore, six ridges visible on the edge of each propeller blade are based on bumps along the fins of Humpback whales. When the propeller is rotating, air travels faster through these ridges, with less drag.

Learn About BigRep 3D Printers

“Both of these bionic principles work in water and air,” said Schärfer. “So, it could be adapted to small ventilation fans to wind turbines to water or air propellers.”

The result is a propeller that reduces turbulence caused by air or in-water cavitation. Tests with a computer vent designed this way revealed 30% less noise emission, and tested as a ship propeller it raises the thrust performance by around 19%. Like the Berlin-based researchers who developed the loop principle propeller, more and more teams of researchers are discovering and applying bionic principles that make conventional designs more efficient.

The BigRep ONE revolutionizes the process of casting a propeller by shaving significant time off the production of an initial mold. “The bionic propeller model can be printed in days instead of being milled and shaped by hand over a period of weeks,” said Schärfer. “The process has traditionally been laborious, but with large-scale 3D printing, the prototype can be created as one single, seamless form.”

Stick by your print bed

November 29, 2022March 5, 2018

One key challenge presented by 3D printing, especially if there is a small area of contact for a large print, is detachment from the print bed. Add to that the fact that each material requires different printing conditions. So, even on a large 3D printer like the BigRep ONE, which works equally well for all materials, our printing experts were always on the hunt for a first-layer adhesive solution that was solvent-free and environmentally friendly, not to mention easy to work with.

BigRep and R&D startup Thought3D (based in Valletta, Malta) recently announced a cooperation to bring a first-layer adhesive to large-scale build area FFF industrial 3D printers. So, we’re pleased to introduce Magigoo – a glue stick that increases printing reliability and maintenance convenience.

Learn About BigRep 3D Printers

What began as a meeting and casual chat between some BigRep and Thought3D staff at IDTechEx in May, ended up in a cooperation to refine the Thought3D product and make it available for testing on large-scale prints at the BigRep Berlin office. Crucial to BigRep in using the adhesive has been the fact that it sticks and holds fast to the object when the print bed is hot, and releases when the print bed is cold.

“BigRep customers expect high-quality end products," said Moshe Aknin, Chief Technology Officer at BigRep. “Magigoo is a reliable product that helps our dependable workhorse printers to achieve great large-scale results.”

In one particular instance, BigRep was printing a section of its creative team’s bionic propeller design on The ONE printer. Given the propeller model’s area of contact was rather small, the BigRep team needed Magigoo on the print bed to aid in printing the large part’s challenging geometry. Moreover, the object’s overhangs and sharp details could have led to object detachment, but with the Magigoo adhesive, BigRep was able to successfully print several sections of the model for prototyping.

“We enjoyed working with BigRep to extend our product range for large format 3D printers and we are glad to provide a product that meets the high demands of industrial clients,” said Dr Keith M Azzopardi, Co-Founder and R&D Lead at Thought3D. “We hope to continue this collaboration with BigRep. Magigoo’s development road map is underway. We are expanding our product portfolio to include an even wider spectrum of smart adhesives targeting engineering materials.”

You can read more about the Magigoo’s glue stick on their website, or on 3Dprint.com and 3D Printing Media Network, where the announcement was also covered.

BigRep and BASF securing strategic agreement to develop industrial 3D printing materials

October 21, 2022February 28, 2018

BigRep and BASF closed on a strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop 3D printing solutions for industrial applications. The collaboration includes the joint development of materials and printers for industrial customer requirements. On the other hand, BASF is investing in the company in order to further strengthen the area of 3D printing.

Although BigRep was only launched four years ago, the Berlin-based company has quickly become one of the leading global providers of large-format 3D printing technology for industrial users. The announcement of a cooperation with the world’s largest chemical company BASF is a further signifier of its continuing dedication to engineering and manufacturing cutting-edge solutions.

“We strive to provide our customers with the most innovative 3D printing solutions using BigRep equipment, and now BASF industrial materials help take us to the next level,” said René Gurka, CEO of BigRep, of the partnership. “BASF is the strongest materials partner. Together, we can help our customers solve their challenges with innovative 3D printing processes.”

BASF brings to the partnership extensive knowledge of materials and their industrial applications. It also has the broadest portfolio of materials in the chemical industry that can be used to develop 3D printing materials. "The forward-looking partnership with the combined expertise of both companies enables our customers to realize industrial applications faster," says Volker Hammes, Managing Director of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH.

The announcement marks the second closing of a growth round initiated in the second half of last year for the Berlin-based 3D Printer manufacturer BigRep, which provides hardware, software, materials and services for large-scale 3D printing, and counts Körber Group, KfW, b-to-v Partners S.à.r.l., Koehler Invest GmbH and kloeckner.v GmbH among its investors. In addition to its headquarters in Berlin, BigRep has expanded its operations to the USA and Singapore, and established a network of resellers across every continent.

About BigRep:

BigRep is a technology start-up based in Berlin with offices in Boston, New York and Singapore, which develops and manufactures the world's largest 3D printers. One of the ground-breaking developments of the company founded in 2014 is the BigRep ONE, which is supplemented by the smaller BigRep STUDIO.
Interdisciplinarity and well-founded experience in the field of additive manufacturing characterizes the multinational team of BigRep, now comprised of more than 90 employees. In addition to new products, the Berlin company is now concentrating on complete solutions for industrial customers in the form of integrated additive manufacturing systems. The goal of the highly innovative engineering company is to revolutionize design, prototyping and industrial production from the ground up.

For further information as well as pictures and video material please contact:

Maik Dobberack
PR & Communication
BigRep GmbH
T +49 (0) 30 208 4826-38
E [email protected]

Shifting gear into 3D print mode: How Paravan cut production costs by 75% with the BigRep ONE

April 29, 2024February 15, 2018

Vehicle customization company Paravan is a leading international provider of vehicle adaptations for people with a disability or special needs. With their personalized, road-approved, safety-related industrial applications, Paravan doesn’t just deliver car parts from its industrial mobility park in Germany – they offer mobile freedom to those who need it most.

Their solutions are specifically tailored to individual medical needs, incorporating features such as wheelchair access, loading systems, rotating seating, and many more accessibility assets for safety and comfort. Providing such highly tailored automotive components requires a great deal of time consulting, designing, prototyping and installing, to ensure the components work as they should. This makes time and resource savings even more valuable.

BigRep is pleased to be a part of making those savings a reality. Now working with a BigRep ONE, Paravan can rely on large-volume 3D printing technology, instead of depending on older, time-intensive processes to deliver parts.

Learn About BigRep 3D Printers

“With the BigRep ONE, we can quickly and inexpensively print complex components that are either impossible or very difficult to produce by machine,” said Mario Kütt, Head of Mechanical Construction at Paravan, when we spoke with him about how the BigRep ONE is shifting how they produce parts. “Now we print a component that we had previously milled, thereby saving around 75% of the costs.”

In addition to saving 75% on production costs, Paravan is also producing its prototypes almost 50% faster using 3D printing than with traditional methods. One such prototype the Paravan team has printed is a revolutionary new steering mechanism. Unlike in most cars, this Paravan steering wheel is electronic, rather than being directly connected to the steering column. The specialist automotive company designed their own cover for the steering wheel using the BigRep ONE 3D printer.

Custom grips, created from 3D scans, are another example of the kinds of custom parts that Paravan prints with the BigRep ONE large-scale 3D printer. “We have had the printer for a good year, and together with a 3D scanner, our construction engineers work with it daily,” said Alexander Nerz, Paravan’s Head of Marketing & PR. “It’s great to be able to quickly and efficiently build designs overnight... to be able to install the piece into the customer’s vehicle the very next day. It’s a really great tool.”

For more information on how Paravan is using 3D printing to change the way they produce their innovative industrial applications:

Want to Learn More About Paravan's Cost Saving Vehicle Customization Process?

Paravan has been a leading international provider of vehicle adaptations for people with a disability or special needs. In addition to saving 75% on production costs, they produce prototypes nearly 50% faster with 3D printing compared with traditional methods. Don't miss out, watch the webinar now:

3D PRINTING SHIFTS PARAVAN’S LIFE-CHANGING VEHICLE CUSTOMIZATION
.

Fusing Creativity & Technology for Innovation

December 2, 2022February 1, 2018

Some say working in the tech sector doesn’t leave much room for creativity. I beg to differ, and so do most others when they see what my team and I do every day at the intersection of creative and technology. Fusing together art, design and technological innovation has opened up a wealth of possibility for us here at BigRep, and for our customers and partners, in particular.

From an early stage, BigRep decided to have a creative team, and ensure it was a core function within the company. We reached out to designers, architects and artists, and sought interesting collaboration opportunities to demonstrate what large-scale FFF, commonly known by its trademarked name fusion deposition modeling (FDM), could do.

Four years ago, when BigRep started out, not many creative professionals had ready access to 3D printing technology. The awareness level was so much lower than it is now. For us, it was about showing what it really means to use large-scale 3D printing. There’s a difference between doing something large and something that is really 1:1. We took on the exciting challenge of offering more value-added education on what FFF really is, and the potential of it.

In this post, I am keen to give more insights into how we approach our large-scale creative work at BigRep, and why I believe we’ve been pioneering a new-wave approach to creative large-scale 3D printing.

One of our early collaborations was with Munich-based industrial designer Thorsten Franck, on the London table. It is one table that can support a 20-kg plate of glass atop it, and one of the most interesting things about the design is that it can be printed in one loop, in just one day. I think it’s a great example of 3D-printed furniture because it uses the full one cubic meter of the BigRep ONE, it’s made for FFF and designed directly in the G-code, demonstrating big volume at high speed.

We also partnered with Juergen Mayer H. on a project that was about visualizing the code that banks use to disguise information, such as on the inside of envelopes. Given the cavities within the sculpture, 3D printing was the only technology to translate the digital model into a physical reality.

Juergen Mayer H. makes creativity & technology meet with his 3D printed Sculpture

Juergen Mayer H. with his 3D printed Sculpture

Learn About BigRep 3D Printers

Another creative cooperation on perhaps the largest scale we’ve attempted yet, was with Andreas Greiner, in which the Berlin-based artist took a CT-scan of the skeleton of a broiler chicken and converted it into a skeleton the size of a dinosaur – at a scale of 20:1. Produced in partnership with the Technical University of Applied Sciences (TH Wildau), the seven-meter high sculpture was on display at the Berlinische Gallery, as part of Greiner’s suite of works representing society’s attitude to the meat industry and food production and consumption. It’s fascinating, as an artist myself, to see how our technology can bring a concept to life in a way that has such an impact on a space, and those who view it.

Andreas Greiner with 3D Printed Sculpture

From early on, BigRep wanted to connect to the energy of the city here in Berlin and invest resources in projects that showed the potential of FFF, through film and dynamic content. We wanted to educate, inspire and show what the future could look like – thus the BigRep Innovation Award was born, and launched in October 2017. Starting in partnership with NOVACAD Systems, as a competition for Canadian students to design a chair for 3D printing, we want to help equip the next generation of designers, architects, engineers and artists to develop the skills and know-how to innovate with 3D printing.

I remember what it is like to submit works to open calls and competitions, so my advice for BigRep Innovation Award entrants would be: become familiar with the kinds of technologies available in the 3D printing sphere. Not everything is always ‘printable’, so learn how to design specifically with the technology in mind, and this will yield the best results.

Furthermore, try to be original, and to bring your passion and individuality to the design. Take the time to understand how the technology translates design into digital form and don’t worry about making mistakes. Our large-scale 3D printers are great trial and error tools. You can know in one day how something looks on a 1:1 scale. That changes everything – for design, for art, for creation.

Amir Fattal is Head of Marketing & Creative Projects at BigRep in Berlin. He is also an independent artist and business developer for art and culture, who has curated and participated in numerous international exhibitions in galleries and museums.

Connect with Amir on Linkedin HERE and on Instagram HERE.

“I raced Amazon Prime, and won.” – The fast-print wonder that is the ‘Kinky Korb’

June 26, 2023January 26, 2018

There are few phenomena quite like the online shopping empire Amazon. The giant online shop offers same-day delivery in Germany and other countries, which many would agree cannot be beaten. Until its delivery time was unofficially beaten – by an in-house BigRep design and The ONE large-scale 3D printer.

It all began with garbage – well, specifically a lack of desk-side recycling receptacles in the BigRep office, that is. Mirek Claßen, industrial designer and architect at BigRep, was on the hunt for more wastepaper bins in BigRep’s Berlin office, and when he saw a few more were needed, he did what many of us would do: he looked online to find some, and saw Amazon’s range available for same-day delivery. But simply ordering some for delivery wouldn’t have been as fun as Claßen’s next idea. “I thought, why not print one, but make it more beautiful, customizable and very print-friendly,” he said. “The idea for the Kinky Korb was born – a recycle bin that fulfils your office needs.”

Named for its quirky shape and the German word for ‘basket’, Claßen designed the Kinky Korb to be sturdy, aesthetically interesting and a fast-print object. “The recycle bin can be printed in vase mode and is tandem machine ready,” explained Claßen. “So, it has a print time of 2.5 hours per item and I bet that’s even better than Amazon’s same day delivery service!”

Waste paper on the way into a Kinky Korb paper bin

The Kinky Korb paper bin receives its first delivery...

Learn About BigRep 3D Printers

The design works in every color – in fact, the louder the color, the better! BigRep’s PLA filament comes in a range of funky colors, and the Korb is strong and shiny in the Black PRO HT filament as well. Because it is fast to print, incredibly useful and uses a relatively small amount of filament, the Kinky Korb is the ideal project to test out the BigRep range of colors.

When BigRep was asked to bring a little give away furniture piece printed on the BigRep ONE at the ‘Mobility Goes Additive’ event in Frankfurt in November 2017, it created more hype than would usually be reserved for a humble paper basket. Passers-by asked to buy one on the spot. This is how the Kinky Korb made its way to the headquarters of German rail service Deutsche Bahn. BigRep has been partnering with Deutsche Bahn on several research and development projects, including one to print headrests as end-use parts. The company put in an order for some colorful Kinky Korbs for their newly refitted office in Berlin.

So, for a quick side project, there are some lively, colorful results when there is a BigRep printer around. Needless to say, all BigRep staff with the standard-issue wastepaper baskets are vying for a funky new yellow, orange, black or green Kinky Korb!

Investigating the Kinky Korb

Mirek Claßen is currently the UX Manager at BigRep, responsible for making software interfaces easy to use and informative. Trained as an architect and working in various roles at BigRep, from innovation design to digital solutions, Mirek applies a creative spirit to all things 3D printing.

Brian Lilley 3D Prints Ecological Solutions: Insights from a BigRep Innovation Award Jury Member

November 29, 2022January 25, 2018

Joris Laarman Lab series based on the Diamond Chair 2014

Nova Scotia-based architect Brian Lilley is fascinated by how architecture, ecology, computation and art weave together to create solutions for communities. Now calling Halifax home, the architecture professor has honed his craft in cities such as London and Berlin, and since beginning to teach fulltime has had a focus on the potential of 3D printing. When he first began lecturing at Dalhousie University, Brian was responsible for forming a rapid prototyping lab with laser cutters, CNC milling, and depositional printers. He has worked on many collaborative projects with digital makers and thinkers across North America and Europe, one of which eventually resulted in a prototype ceramic printer.

As a jury member for the BigRep Innovation Award, we asked Brian more about his work background and for his take on integration of computation and 3D printing into design – specifically, furniture design.

Could you please tell us a bit about your background and experience as a designer?

My formative experience in Design was in London, at the Architectural Association, where exceptional projects are the expectation. Computation was just coming into play. My Tutors, Nigel Coates and Daniel Weil, both had young design firms that specialized in furniture and smaller-scale architecture.

Then, working in Berlin with sauerbruch hutton architekten, we employed a sophisticated colour sensibility meshed together with a progressive set of environmental strategies. My major project was the GSW headquarters building, including furnishing for the gardens, restaurants, and conference rooms. The use of computation as a design tool really began with forays into physical simulation (with Arup Engineers), augmented reality, and animation.

Most recently I have been working with a group named 'Narratives in Space and Time' on a series of projects related to the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. A collaborative approach resulted in an iPhone app called 'Drifts' meant to encourage story-sharing, and the 'Pyschogeographer's Table', a milled topographic tabletop that incorporates both augmented reality projections above and real physical artifacts in drawers below. Another project for the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has focused on a digital-material-craft reproduction of a key artifact; a panel from the RMA Titanic's first-class lounge area.

Detail from the Psychogeographer's Table, 2017

How to submit your design

You reference the Joris Laarman Lab as a key inspiration. What specifically about their approach to digital technologies and furniture design do you recommend for aspiring student designers?

Joris Laarman works in a clever way that stimulates design ideas across a range of possibilities involving character, material and production. Fabrication technologies are queried in a way that cross-pollinate with cultural expression and design constraint. For example in an iterative design series, the 'Diamond Chair' (2014), it is materially re-imagined as a magnesium mesh, a walnut maze pattern, and ultimately as a set of puzzle pieces that require assembly. His 'Soft Gradient Chair' exploits postural flexibility with a thermoplastic polyurethane mesh. A further development, the 'Adaption Chair', fuses copper plating onto a 3D-printed polyamide form. His work has been hailed as a masterpiece of digital design by the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York.

Given the potential of large format 3D printing what do you see as the major impact for designers as it relates to structure, design and ergonomics?

From my experience, three things spring to mind: firstly, the possibilities for exploration of form and character that (perhaps) need to be tempered by concerns with materiality + elegance. Secondly, the exploration of a 'Monolithic' sculptural approach and/or the consideration of the joint detail – in allowing combination with other materials or the potential flexibility of moving parts. Thirdly, in combination with smaller prototypes, the ability to simulate a design and test aspects of both structure and ergonomics in an iterative way.

As an educator and designer, what news sources, blogs or publications do you devour for inspiration and industry news?

Certain designers and artists, for example Ross Lovegrove, Olafur Eliasson and Mark Goulthorpe, have always piqued my interest, especially in relation to architecture. The digital design communities that I value include ACADIA and Smart Geometries, for the integration of scholarship, computation and making. Social media input is sometimes useful (and sometimes not!), such as Instagram, for exposure to new ideas.

Learn about Brian Lilley’s fellow jury member Lindsay Lawson and her approach to creating art using 3D printing technology. Read here an interview with two other BigRep Innovation Award jury members, Amir Fattal and Gregor Ash, about their approach to designing furniture for 3D printing. Full competition details, including the entry form, can be found here.

Brian Lilley, Dalhousie School of Architecture. BigRep Innovation Award Judge

Connect with Brian on Linkedin HERE.

Filling in the Filament Blanks

July 4, 2023January 22, 2018

Black Propeller Detail, printed in one of BigRep's filaments the PRO HT

To truly harness the potential of FFF (commonly known by its trademarked name, FDM) technology, a few things need to fit together in a neat puzzle: the hardware (the machine) needs to work tirelessly and with accuracy; the software must function seamlessly; the 3D printer materials need to be of high quality and suit the nature of the print project. For industrial 3D printers, the stakes become higher when printing large-scale objects for either prototyping or end-use. In these situations, the printing time is longer and therefore printing failures can waste valuable time and money.

To ensure this triad of quality is complete, and that its high standards for hardware, software and innovation are complemented by the best printing materials, BigRep develops its own 3d printer filaments for its large-scale printers. We toil over a new generation of high-thermoplastic materials that are suitable for industrial applications. Only when 3D printers and materials are developed side by side, can it be possible to ensure optimal stability and high quality results.

Over the coming weeks, we will dive deeper into each kind of filament that BigRep produces to learn more about their mechanical properties, possible applications and share some tips and tricks on how best to use and post-process them to achieve superb large-scale parts.

We marry up German machinery with self-developed dedicated thermoplastics, offering a powerful solution for producing large objects for both concept and functional prototyping. Innovation is central to the BigRep philosophy, so there are numerous R&D projects currently running to develop exciting new filaments for its materials portfolio, which currently includes:

BIGREP PLA

Perfect solution for prototyping, art projects, producing end-use parts and rapid tooling applications. This filament extrudes very well and has very low moisture absorption.

One example of how BigRep PLA can be used was demonstrated by BigRep customer Geiger, with its concrete casting formwork. Our e-book on this use case provides further details on the use of this filament for a complex building restoration.

Our experts with +25,000 hours of experience in industrial 3D printing are waiting to sink their teeth into your unique and challenging use case.

BIGREP PETG

PETG is characterized by its strength, toughness and thermal resistance, as well as very low warping behavior – it is a real alternative to ABS.

BigRep’s mechanically and thermally resistant PETG Filament

BIGREP PRO HT

In the BigRep PRO HT (HT = high temperature), users have a high-performance filament as an ABS alternative that can easily be used in low-temperature printers, providing even better thermal and mechanical properties.

Check out all BigRep filaments

BigRep Innovation Award’s Lindsay Lawson: Bending the Rules of 3D Printing

December 2, 2022January 17, 2018

To create something truly original, sometimes you must throw the rulebook out the window. Berlin-based artist Lindsay Lawson knows all about challenging the boundaries of what is possible, especially when it comes to technology – in fact, it’s an essential facet of her work creating sculpture and other artworks for 3D printing. Lindsay has had her works exhibited extensively across Europe and the United States, where she is originally from. When she is not exhibiting in cities like Vienna, Los Angeles, London or Rome, Lindsay works with BigRep on special projects that challenge its large-scale printers to develop interesting and complex 3D-printed objects.

It was Lindsay’s experience raising artistic works from the 3D print bed, fusing form and function, that made her a clear choice for the jury in the BigRep Innovation Award’s open call to students in Canada. As part of the four-person jury, Lindsay will help decide the ultimate winner of a Canada-wide competition, with a $3,000 cash prize, for the most innovative design of a 3D-printed chair. Following a public vote, a select number of entrants’ designs will be presented to the jury members, who will all be looking for originality, strong understanding of 3D printing principles, aesthetic innovation and structural integrity.

We sat down with Lindsay to find out how she approaches 3D printing in her work, and get her tips for competition entrants.

BigRep: Could you please tell us a bit about how and why you developed your expertise in 3D printing as an artist?

Lindsay Lawson: My artistic practice is centered around sculpture and video. While my initial foray into 3D modelling was animation, I soon wanted to translate those skills into 3D printed sculptures. Any type of art-making is somehow affected by the tools and materials one chooses to use. With 3D printing the process is how to turn a virtual form into a physical object, and that opens up many new paths to creating something interesting.

BR: With your use of 3D printing technology in your work, how do you balance form + aesthetic with function + structure? What are the challenges you encounter in striking this balance?

LL: The key is to design objects that are particularly suited for additive manufacturing, otherwise it’s like eating soup with a fork. I’m all about printing fast and light so I like to design objects that require no support with minimal infill and few perimeters. Often this means bending some rules of 3D printing – for example, sometimes I like to over-extrude so that I get a thicker wall on a single perimeter print rather than making it double perimeter, therefore cutting the print time in half. But if you’re going to break some rules it’s crucial to design intelligently for the technology you’re using, rather than working against it.

I particularly like to work with some of our more challenging 3D printer materials like transparent PETG, wood filament, flexible TPU. By “challenging” I mean that these materials may not print certain geometries as well as standard materials like PLA. I recently designed some light fixtures that were printed with transparent PETG because the material has a beautiful, silver luster when it refracts light. That project required that I first consider the limitations of FFF in addition to the printability of PETG to inform the functional design of the structure. For me, aesthetic decisions always come last.

How to Submit Your Design

BR: Do you have any words of advice to any students for whom the Innovation Award is their first official design award submission?

LL: If you want to 3D print an object, there is no point in designing something beautiful that can’t be printed. My biggest advice for Innovation Award submissions would be to understand how FFF works and then use the constraints of the technology as a starting point for inspiration.

BR: Which news sources, blogs or publications do you devour for inspiration and industry news?

LL: Since my background is in art, I pay a lot of attention to contemporary art publications and exhibitions, but for design inspiration I like to look at Dezeen and designboom. There are many innovators here at BigRep, so I get a lot of industry news shared from curious colleagues.

Read more here from two other BigRep Innovation Award jury members about their approach to designing furniture for 3D printing. Full competition details, including the entry form, can be found here.

Lindsay Lawson is an artist and a 3D printing specialist, NOWLab @ BigRep

Big Inspiration: Marco Mattia Cristofori on Furniture Design and the Terra Stool

December 2, 2022January 12, 2018

The Terra Stool, a model of furniture design

With a deadline of 11 February, creative young Canadians have just under a month left to submit their innovative 3D-printed chair designs for the BigRep Innovation Award. Over the final weeks we will be interviewing three inspirational design professionals, all 3D printing experts, to spark the creativity and guide the efforts of our competitors on the way towards the finish line.

For the first in the series we sat down with Marco Mattia Cristofori, Product Designer at BigRep, to talk about his latest design, the Terra Stool, which is printed on a BigRep ONE. Marco explains how he developed this intriguing, head-turning piece and gives some handy hints on how best to approach the process of furniture design for production on a BigRep large-format printer.

Could you tell us a bit about your background and experience as a designer?

As an architect who decided to focus on smaller-scale designs, working as a Product Designer at BigRep has opened up new creative possibilities for me. When I started here large 3D prints seemed complex and time consuming to produce, but I discovered that the reality is very different. On our printers you can produce literally whatever you want, only your creativity is the limit and the day after you make a design, you have a prototype. The extra options the printers give me inspire me to move in new directions.

Regarding my background, I’m originally from Italy, and during my formation process I had the chance to live in Spain, the UK, Turkey and before moving to Germany. I worked for two years in an architecture studio based in Istanbul, where I was involved in projects on different scales – from urban planning to furniture design. I discovered that what fascinates me most is designing items for individual use in specific situations, like for sleeping, eating or, in this case, sitting!

How did you approach designing this stool for large-scale 3D printing?

The inspiration for this design was the Ocke Stool which is a really impressive design by Beatrice Müller, a former Product Designer at BigRep. I wanted to re-work the concept in a way which let me experiment with new design ideas and explore what the BigRep machine is capable of. To direct myself I set two constraints: to avoid using any support structure, and to exploit the flexibility of the ‘layer-by-layer’ process of FFF by making every single layer in the design different. An early decision after setting these rules was to have the seat rooted to the print bed which would make avoiding using support structure easier.

The Terra Stool was designed by Marco Mattia Cristofori. Each 3D-printed layer of the stool has a unique shape

How to submit your design

Your re-designed stool draws upon natural design/bionic principles? What’s the thinking behind this?

I decided to use a bionic shape partly because organic shapes tend to vary constantly in their cross-section so this would fit my aim to avoid layer repetition. The beautiful thing is that this typology of design helps to improving the stool’s strength. The gradual curvature of the supporting sections enables this by giving a load applied to the top of the stool an easy path through the object. The sharp angles on rectilinear designs can be weak points which are less able to deal with such forces.

An engineer at BigRep, Paul Worms, showed me some studies and images explaining these bionic principles. If you just look at the way the trunks of trees emerge from the earth, and branches emerge from the trunk, you clearly see this idea of the gradual curvature of structural sections.

What material did you use for this design? What features our Canadian entrants look for when choosing a material?

I chose our most-used 3D printer filament PLA, which allowed a nice polished finish to the seat top when it is printed flat on the print bed. It also meant that I had to limit overhang angles in the design to a maximum of 60 degrees in order to meet my rule of not adding any support material.

I suggest Innovation Award competitors think about other options. For example, it can be nice to use dual extrusion to combine two materials for a new effect, as in [sg_popup id="44" event="click"]this table[/sg_popup] BigRep produced in 2017. In that design we used on of our transparent materials which can produce interesting outcomes, especially if you experiment with infill pattern. Our PRO HT filament is a high-performance ABS-like material, its tensile and impact strength properties open up additional design possibilities.

Terra-Chair-With-Small-3D-Model-Macquette-2

As a designer, what news sources, blogs or publications do you devour for inspiration and industry news?

I still keep up to date with new developments in architectural design, I really like ArchDaily. I find that I can be inspired by ideas expressed in architectural language, and it influences my product designs. I also really like Dezeen which is more design-focused. And then there is iGNANT! I discovered this around six years ago and it’s a super nice, simple blog that covers different creative media. They’re from Berlin and posted this piece on our colleagues at NOWlab, which is actually about some nature-inspired furniture.

What advice would you give a Canadian student preparing a designs for the February 11 BigRep Innovation Award deadline?

I could talk for hours on this … but let me just say three things. The more research you can do into ideas which inspire you and into 3D printing technology the more likely you can create a really strong, boundary-pushing concept. Also, I would definitely recommend you set some rules for your design and make some quick decisions early on to take some pressure off the process and give a clear direction to your creativity. And the most important thing? Manage your time from there so that you have time to produce a design that expresses your unique perspective, in plenty of time for submission before 11 February!

More information about the Innovation Award, including entry requirements and student resources, can be found HERE.

Marco Mattia Cristofori is architect and 3D printing specialist at BigRep GmbH

Connect with Marco on Linkedin HERE.