3D printing for furnishings

Design your own furnishings

Lately, thanks to new technologies and especially to the low-cost solutions developed by the numerous start-ups in the industry, the printing of three-dimensional objects - or rapid prototyping - is no longer restricted to industrial research or niche applications (such as the study of new prototypes or production of customized prosthesis), but it is indeed become available at a price quite moderate.



Therefore, anyone who wishes can become a designer, personally designing their own furnishings, for themselves or for a very special present. Free rein to creativity, therefore, to produce a truly infinite variety of objects: not only vases, lamps and photo frame, but also sets for board games (such as chess) with particular and curious shapes, scientific models (organic molecules, DNA and snowflakes have in fact a highly decorative aspect), small sculptures of unique pieces or miniatures of monsters and fantastic characters, particularly appreciated by collectors and lovers of RPGs.

The professionals (architects, engineers and surveyors) may instead get in no time - and more economical than traditional plastic - the models of buildings and with all the details required to be submitted to the customer or expose to the public at fairs, exhibitions and presentations.



However, some companies have gone even further, creating very innovative products: Eliofossolo offers the service Mini-ME, a small avatar of oneself perfect in every detail. To get it, simply undergo a three-dimensional scan with a special machine - obviously choosing your preferred position, and carefully follow the advice of specialists in terms of make-up, hairstyle and outfit for optimal performance even minute details: later, the images acquired will be assembled and improved with appropriate procedures, printed with the most appropriate method, and finally further refined.

Software for 3D modeling

To produce your own complement of furniture, you need to provide the printer with a three-dimensional model saved in format .stl, specifically for rapid prototyping.

Also, to avoid unpleasant aesthetic effects (such as bubbles, holes or incongruous corners) and facilitate the work of the operator that will optimize the file for printing, all surfaces must be closed, accurately merged and without double or incongruous objects.

There are many software for processing of three-dimensional models. One of the most powerful is definitely Rhinoceros, specifically for the modeling of complex surfaces, and used mainly in the fields of industrial design, goldworking, fashion (for the study of footwear and accessories such as handbags, belts and jewelry) and design and naval architecture: its great versatility, and the large number of plug-ins to cover the most varied requirements, enables it to shape easily very small objects - such as jewelry - or very large.

For those who - not being of the field - just want to experience the considerable potential of these tools, there are many free programs, freely downloadable from the internet: one of the most common is definitely SketchUp, particularly intuitive and indicated especially for modeling of buildings.

Aspiring sculptors have instead available a specific application, Sculptris Alpha: use fairly complex (but still easily learnable with manuals and tutorials available on the internet), is a real virtual sculpture studio, where - thanks to modeling processes inspired by statues and bas-reliefs in clay - you can give life to any complex shape.

Blender too, is not of immediate use, but the fact of being completely free and its great power and versatility make it particularly suited to creating sculptures, furnishings, models of buildings and even settings and characters of video games and animated films.

Three-dimensional printing

Raw material

If you print a document or an image you use paper and ink, to transform the virtual models into real objects you need shape raw materials specially crafted: in rapid prototyping methods simpler and cheaper using plastics, usually nylon, PET, polyurethane thermoplastic or ABS, that occur in the granules in the liquid state or in the form of thin filaments wrapped in coils.

3D printers

In rapid prototyping, contrary to what occurs with the normal cutting machinery (used for example in the workshops for shaping the pieces of metal), you working by addition: the processing is, therefore, very clean, because it does not produce wastes of any kind.

In fact, the most usual printing process takes place by heating a small portion of the plastic material (granules or filaments) inserted in the printer and creating the 3D object little at a time with numerous passages in the head, according to a procedure similar (but in three dimensions) to jet printing ink.

For objects with particularly complex forms - difficult to obtain with other methods - is shown to be much more stereolithography, in which a beam of light - also laser - is appropriately addressed to solidify gradually a photopolymer contained in a special bath. It is also possible to add the dyestuffs to obtain an object with a special texture or photorealistic effects.

Learn how to model and print 3D

For those who have not ever come close to these topics, but still want to try, many copy shops specialized - and of course the press service of the models made by customers, to prototyping do-it-yourself machines made available to the customer or to the sale of 3D printers (service offered by Comingtools Varese) - offer classes or private lessons: for example, at the start-up angle 3D from Bologna there are courses of three-dimensional modeling aimed precisely at the creation of objects, while at the workshop of Comingtools you can learn to use a 3D printer.