Stockholm studio TOOJ designed Contourage, a vibrant blue desk with a wooden grain sample, which was constructed from 3D printed sand utilizing a binder jet course of.
The desk was unveiled at this yr's Milan Design Week as a part of Studio TOOJ's 'Restrained Magnificence: The Unseen Layers of Scandinavian Design' exhibition at nomadic design platform Alcova's Villa Borsani exhibition.
It was constructed with German producer Sandhelden utilizing a course of referred to as binder jetting, which layers sand with a binder.
“Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing course of the place a liquid binder is selectively utilized to stick powder particles,” Studio TOOJ co-founder Ashley Chong informed Dezeen. “The fabric layers are then linked to an object.”
“The printhead permits for the strategic utility of binders to the powder,” she added.
“The work field is lowered and one other layer of powder is then unfold and binders are added. Over time, the thing builds up by the layering of powder and binder.”
The binder used for the desk is constituted of furanic resin derived from biomass, together with corn husks, rice husks and sugar cane, in accordance with the studio.
Studio TOOJ needed to make the desk, which is hole, out of sand to scale back materials utilization.
“We’ve sought and are nonetheless searching for progressive manufacturing strategies to deliver our concepts to life in a extra sustainable means with out compromising on design,” stated Chong, who co-founded Studio TOOJ along with Johan Wilén.
“3D sand printing emerged as an excellent alternative for Contourage, not solely lowering materials utilization because of its partially hole construction, but in addition providing attention-grabbing visible potentialities.”
The studio additionally adorned the desk with a wood-aged sample to present it a extra natural really feel.
“We made a deliberate determination in regards to the route of the print to create these distinctive patterns paying homage to wooden grain,” stated Chong.
Theater scenes with their multi-layered units knowledgeable the form of the desk, which was spray-painted a vibrant blue colour.
“I've all the time been drawn to blue for its calming impact,” Chong stated. “In Contourage, its hues refract superbly in opposition to the grain of sand. It's simply fascinating to look at.”
Contourage desk sand may also be reused on the finish of its life, though the method requires some work.
“One benefit of the know-how is that the producer doesn’t soften the grain dimension within the course of, as this course of wouldn’t be reversible,” Chong stated.
“It merely binds the sand grains collectively and seals the floor with a particular therapy,” she added.
“The mass consists of about 93% sand, and the remaining is furan binder, epoxy and coating. It’s potential to “burn” the binder and epoxy. After this, the sand may be recycled for different processes or normal waste functions.”
Quite a few designers confirmed items at Alcova this Milan Design Week, together with college students from a Swiss design college who created nomadic furnishings and Canadian lighting firm AND, who designed standing chandeliers for a 17th-century villa lea.