Biomimicry 3D printed soft seat
Biomimicry; 3D Printed soft seat is the starting phase of Lilian’s extensive research to organic structures in order to optimize the soft seating industry.
YEAR
2014
CLIENT
GRADUATION PROJECT POST GRADUATE COURSE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, KABK, THE HAGUE
TYPE OF WORK
BIOMIMICRY, PRODUCT DESIGN
COLLABORATION
3D PRINTED WITH THE SUPPORT OF 3D SYSTEMS BENELUX
In this graduation project for the Post Graduate Course Industrial Design at the KABK she peeled of the layers of the current soft seating industry and came up with a comfortable seat made out of one single material by using 3D printing. The current industry uses various materials collected from all over the world and it is rare to find interior products that are produced locally. On top of that the assembly involves chemical substances like glue which also makes upcycling or recycling impossible.
BIOMIMICRY
Mother nature fabricates single material patterns that serve a wide scale of functions on many levels, from trees to spiderwebs. In particular, Van Daal looked to nature for inspiration and examined the properties of plant cells, which are able to perform several different tasks. Reducing the density of the material would create more flexible areas for seating, while the amount of material could be increased where greater structural strength is required.
3D PRINTING
She began to look at ways of 3D printing structures that behave differently depending on how material is distributed, enabling some sections to be soft and others to be rigid. 3D printing allows us to mimic structures from nature on a meticulous level. Lilian came up with the soft seating of a chair that can be locally produced inspired on plant cell structures. The result is softseating that is adaptable to personal and ergonomic needs of the buyer and that contains all functions made out of one single material.
Producing furniture using this method could also reduce emissions from transportation typically required to move materials and products around during the production process, as the furniture would be printed in one place.
