Tag Archives: 3D-printed

Top 10 3D Printed Designs That Are Pushing The Limits Of Sustainable Design & Tech

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3D Printing is gaining more momentum and popularity than ever. Designers and architects all over the world are now adopting 3D Printing for the creation of almost all types of products and structures. It’s a technique that is being widely utilized in product design, owing to its simple and innovative nature. But designers aren’t employing 3D printing only to create basic models, they’re utilizing this technique in mind-blowing ways as well! From a 3D-printed terracotta cooler to 3D-printed footwear that pushes the limits of tech and design – the scope of this dependable technique is unlimited! Dive into this collection of humble yet groundbreaking 3D-printed designs.

1. Pure Plants

If you’re someone who tends to kill all the plants you adopt, then a Barcelona-based company has the perfect solution for you – Pure Plants. Pure Plants are 3D-printed plant-looking sculptures, that are much more than just decorative items for your living space.

Why is it noteworthy?

They actually use Pure.Tech technology to turn these “plants” into air purifiers that are able to absorb and neutralize carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other volatile organic compounds.

What we like

  • Function as air purifiers to make the indoor air you breathe healthier
  • The material used to create the living sculptures is also sustainable

What we dislike

  • The average size of each 3D-printed plant is quite big, so its not easy to blend into every home decor

2. 3D-printed Wrench

Have a look at these unique tools from Desktop Metal, and you will instantly notice that is there something different about them. They arent like the typical die-cast wrenches with solid metal bodies that you see, these tools feature a textured inner surface with multiple holes and cavities.

Why is it noteworthy?

The inner surface of these wrenches uses a gyroid-style in-fill, commonly seen in 3D printing to fill up inner spaces with support material while conserving plastic. The gyroid inner mass gives these metal wrenches their strength while simultaneously cutting down on material and weight. The result is the same, functional tool but with nearly 30% less mass and weight.

What we like

  • The various parts have a higher and more uniform density (up to 99%) than other metal 3D printing methods while being faster too

What we dislike

  • The prototype wrench is less of an actual product and more of a showcase of Desktop Metal’s capabilities

3. Wilson’s Airless Basketball

Wilson unveiled its latest airless basketball that utilizes a see-through 3D printed mesh similar to those airless car tire concepts we’ve seen before. This creates a ball that bounces just like a basketball, but doesn’t look like any basketball we’ve seen before!

Why is it noteworthy?

Created as an experimental prototype by Wilson Sporting Goods Co.’s R&D (Basketball) division, the Airless Basketball prototype is a stunning piece of design and engineering that looks, weighs, and bounces just like a basketball, but fundamentally rethinks the ball’s physical structure and underlying physics.

What we like

  • Utilizes a 3D hexagonal mesh structure that is highly elastic, allowing it to bounce just like a pressurized ball
  • Doesn’t need pumping for refilling

What we dislike

  • The ball’s lifespan, resistance to damage, how well players can grip it, whether objects can get stuck inside the mesh, and the overall dynamics of the ball are still undetermined

4. Terracotta Cooler

This low-tech terracotta cooler is a promising and sustainable cooling solution, that was created as a result of the collaborative efforts between visionary designers and engineers.

Why is it noteworthy?

The low-tech cooler’s functionality is based on a well-engineered ventilation system which is known as the Water Evaporative Evaporator Effect (WEEE), which allows the airflow to come into contact with the wet surface of the terracotta container, wherein the water undergoes a natural evaporation process, creating a refreshing flow of cold air.

What we like

  • Showcases the power of nature-inspired solutions in addressing modern challenges
  • Eco-friendly design

What we dislike

  • The design is still being designed, so we cannot speak to the effective cooling capabilities of the design.

5. The EXPLR 02

Matthew Blunt designed the EXPLR 02 – a pair of shoes that look like the wireframe you see in 3D modeling software, although it has an even higher resolution and a number of empty spaces.

Why is it noteworthy?

The design takes inspiration from the nature of those digital artifacts. Repeating patterns, organic forms, and an almost chaotic composition all come together to create footwear that is both beautiful and intriguing.

What we like

  • Useful + practical footwear design

What we dislike

  • The structural integrity of such a design can also be in question since the thin intersecting lines could make it less durable under rugged conditions

6. The Paris Bookend

Designed to add an adorable French charm to your bookshelf, the Paris Bookend is a miniature 3-story building that is created in the classic Hausmanns style. The adorable home features a Mansard roof, that lets your books naturally lean over against the side of the mini building.

Why is it noteworthy?

It comes with detailed out chimneys, windows, and an adorable red door too, adding a gorgeous Parisian charm to your home that feels a lot more authentic than those run-of-the-mill Eiffel Tower memorabilia.

What we like

  • Adorable + functional solution to store your books

What we dislike

  • If you don’t print the base platform with high infills, the building could collapse on itself

7. 3D Printed Lamborghini Aventador

Did you know that you can now download a car?! Sterling Backus, an enthusiastic father and physicist downloaded and 3D printed an entire Lamborghini Aventador.

Why is it noteworthy?

Sterling started by first downloading a 1:10 scale model of the Aventador, scaling it up, separating the parts, and even adding a few signature modifications of his own, like making the car’s body wider.

What we like

  • Significantly lighter than the original car
  • The entire car is built from scratch

What we dislike

  • The overall build still needs some work, and the car still needs a Red, White, and Black paint job once everything’s ready

8. Cozy Cleo Lamp

Based in Germany, the design studio EveryOtherDay designed this 3D-printed table lamp. It was created using recycled plastic bottles and cardboard. This sustainable product is a fine specimen of circular design and wholly embodies minimalistic design principles.

Why is it noteworthy?

The table lamp is Rasenberger’s innovative attempt to tackle the excessive wastage of cardboard, and instead incorporate it in a circular design process, providing the material with a new and redefined identity. In this entire process, almost 200g of cardboard, and 10 plastic bottles are recycled.

What we like

  • Once the lifecycle of the lamp has ended, it can be recycled, allowing the materials to once again be utilized in a completely new and different manner

What we dislike

  • Not sure if the lamp will have a long lifespan

9. The Throne

Designed by Spanish design studio Nagami and To: this 3D-printed toilet is called The Throne and is made up of three parts – a teardrop-shaped body, a double-curved sliding door, and a bucket for solid waste.

Why is it noteworthy?

The various parts of the toilet were printed within three days – pretty quickly! This includes the base and multiple other smaller accessories that were either injection molded or ordered. It also includes an off-the-shelf separation toilet seat to separate urine from solids for composting.

What we like

  • Goes further in its realization of a circular economy by composting the waste produced by users and using this compost locally

What we dislike

  • The cost of production needs to be dropped

10. Wabo

Called Wabo, this collection of hand boards is created from plastic waste that is produced using 3D-printed prototyping. Wabo is an excellent initiative to make something out of plastic waste, that is actually functional and can be used!

Why is it noteworthy?

Uido Design is a studio known for its catalog of 3D printable product designs and its team is doing something about the waste they produce during the design process. Shredding the plastic waste produced from 3D printing into bits and pieces, Uido Design uses the waste to create hand boards for users to ride the ocean waves.

What we like

  • The hand boards are handcrafted

What we dislike

  • Not a necessary product, but still fun!

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3D printed Terracotta Cooler Gives a Modern yet Traditional Makeover to Air-Conditioning

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With the relentless increase in global temperatures, air conditioning has become an essential requirement for human survival, rather than a mere luxury. However, conventional air conditioning systems exacerbate the issue by contributing significantly to the carbon footprint. This calls for innovative designers to seek eco-friendly alternatives, blending traditional wisdom with modern resources to address this pressing challenge. In response to this need, the low-tech terracotta cooler emerges as a promising and sustainable cooling solution, born from the collaborative efforts of visionary designers and engineers.

Designer: Simon Pavy

The brainchild of a collaborative effort between a visionary designer and the global design agency Entreautre, the low-tech cooler draws inspiration from ancient practices. At its core lies a simple yet effective principle: a porous terracotta container filled with water. The ingenious idea of utilizing porous building materials for external walls is a common architectural practice in the Middle East and hotter regions of India. People of Egypt also used an evaporative cooling method by hanging wet reed mats over doorways and windows, these various natural inspirations form the basis of this innovative cooling solution. In these traditional designs, intricate geometric patterns not only lend a decorative touch but also play a pivotal role in creating a cooling effect. As warm air passes through narrow openings, it undergoes a cooling transformation due to the shift from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, enabling it to absorb heat effectively.

Central to the low-tech cooler’s functionality is a well-engineered ventilation system known as the Water Evaporative Evaporator Effect (WEEE). By allowing airflow to come into contact with the wet surface of the terracotta container, the water undergoes a natural evaporation process, producing a refreshing flow of cold air. This ingenious yet straightforward approach showcases the power of nature-inspired solutions in addressing modern challenges.

To achieve an optimal cooling effect, the designers sought to maximize the contact between the ventilated air and the wet terracotta surface. Embracing cutting-edge technology, they turned to ceramic 3D printing, which offered the unique ability to test complex volumes and experiment with differential growth. This process, mimicking nature’s organic growth patterns, not only enhanced the cooler’s performance but also bestowed it with an aesthetically pleasing design, becoming a manifesto of their vision.

In the pursuit of perfection, the design team relied on the powerful Grasshopper software, a visual 3D programming language linked to Rhino 3D. Though the software presented its challenges in terms of complexity, it proved to be an invaluable tool in creating intricate and parametric designs that would have been unachievable with traditional CAD programs. The dedication of the designers to master this software reflects their commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

As with any ambitious project, the path to success was not without its challenges. The team had to navigate multiple constraints, including selecting the optimal material thickness, porosity, and method of conception. Collaboration with experts in mechanical engineering and Fablab’s CEO was pivotal in finding solutions and guiding the team toward their ultimate goal.

For the actualization of their innovative design, the team employed a one-of-a-kind 3D printing machine designed by the renowned Dutch artist, Olivier Van Herpt. This unique machine, adapted for terracotta printing, operates similarly to traditional 3D plastic printers but extrudes terra-cotta as a thin filament layer by layer.

As the product undergoes rigorous testing, encompassing aspects of sealing, terracotta durability, airflow efficiency, and real-world performance in hot environments, the low-tech terracotta cooler holds the promise of revolutionizing cooling methods.

In the face of climate change and the escalating demand for cooling solutions, the low-tech terracotta cooler stands as a beacon of hope. By blending traditional wisdom with modern technology, visionary designers have created an eco-friendly alternative that embraces nature’s principles to provide cool comfort. As this innovative cooling solution enters the testing phase, its potential to mitigate the impact of conventional air conditioning systems and contribute to a sustainable future shines bright. The low-tech terracotta cooler is a reminder that harmony between tradition and innovation can indeed pave the way toward a greener and cooler world…

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Move Over Yeezy, These Nature & Geometry-inspired Foam Runners Have Our Hearts And Eyes

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Looking like something out of a cyberverse, the EXPLR 02 are a pair of 3D-printed runners that combine organic shapes with a geometric grid to create something unusually beautiful. “Inspired by modern geometric structures and nature’s patterns of repetition, 02 is an exploration of creating distorted yet organized chaos,” says designer Matthew Blunt. The shoe’s unique design also pushes the limits of 3D printing, which is perhaps the only possible manufacturing process one could use to prototype the concept.

Designer: Matthew Blunt

The shoe’s eye-catching design has some incredibly noteworthy details that make it quite a wonderful example for footwear enthusiasts and future designers. The grid-shaped outer body gives the shoe its breathability and flexibility – although it isn’t necessarily suited for dirty paths or gravel roads, just indoors, perhaps. Wearing the shoe is easy as your foot slips right on, with a heel tab that lets you pull the shoe upwards as you slip it on. Ankle and toe cutouts give the shoe an interesting visual effect as they cause the grid to contort around the cutouts, warping to make the shoe pattern more eye-catching.

What’s the most interesting is by far the shoe’s inner sole, which remains the only solid part of the entire footwear. While the entire shoe’s form is dominated by grids, the inner sole acts as a single solid platform, separating the upper half of the shoe from the lower half. In fact, the lower half isn’t solid either, but was purposely left hollow, giving you a pillow-like air-gap between the outsole and the inner sole. What this would do for the shoe’s actual functionality remains to be seen, but for the designer, this was the fastest, easiest, and most interesting way to build out a prototype.

Given its name, the EXPLR 02 is still an exploration on Blunt’s part, who is an LA-based industrial designer, having worked with Nike and Rivian in the past. Blunt also tried experimenting with colors, going for a more vibrant selection as compared to the Yeezy Foam Runners that stick to more neutral hues in the beige family. Blunt’s EXPLR series aren’t for sale, but hopefully he’ll make the CAD files available to designers who can then experiment with materials and mods to make the shoes more industrially feasible and consumer-friendly.

An FDM 3D printed prototype shoes the shoes without the inner sole

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City dwellers can step into these nature-inspired running shoes to spread the seeds while you run

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A graduate of the London University Central Saint Martins, Kiki Grammatopoulos, has crafted a running shoe that serves a unique purpose: spreading plants and seeds in cities.

In a radical endeavor to bridge the gap between fashion, sports, and nature in a city environment, the student designer has created a pair of enormous outsoles – inspired by bison hoofs – for her project titled “Rewild the Run.”

Designer: Kiki Grammatopoulos

Her innovative outsoles – used as a prototype on New Balance trail running shoes – not only aim to engage individuals with the cause of rewilding, but also prompts a broader reevaluation of our relationship with nature. This conceptual footwear features a dense covering of tiny hooks that mimic the phenomenon of epizoochory, where seeds attach to animals’ fur for transportation.

The idea aligns the outsole with the benefits of “keystone species” in rewilding ecosystems. Such species, including the bison, hold an outsized influence in maintaining the balance in the wild. By creating pathways through dense forests, they facilitate the movement of other species or contribute to the creation of a semi-open pasture, suppressing certain vegetation and providing space for various flora and fauna to thrive.

The chunky appearance and treads of the outsole are a nod to the bison’s hoofs and their role in promoting the movement of other species in city environments. Grammatopoulos’ rewilding footwear encapsulates bison’s remarkable role and serves as a reminder of the symbiotic relationship between keystone species and their environment.

This outsoles prototype is currently 3D printed using nylon polymer. It is densely covered in hooks that effectively interact with soil and plant matter.  However, Grammatopoulos expects to 3D print or injection mold the final version using rubber.

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3D printed plant sculptures act as air purifiers for your indoor space

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Actual, living plants can absorb air toxins when placed inside the house and that is one of the many reasons why people have been adding plants to their decoration indoors. But not everyone is capable of taking care of these plants. I am one of those people. I even managed to kill tiny cactus plants that can supposedly live longer. So no plants for me in my small apartment. But what if there were plant-like things that can serve as both decoration and air purifier?

Designer: External Reference

A Barcelona-based company has created these plant-looking sculptures called Pure Plants through 3D printing and they are more than just decorative items for your space. They actually use Pure.Tech technology to turn these “plants” into air purifiers that are able to absorb and neutralize carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other volatile organic compounds. Basically, these 3D-printed plants serve as air purifiers to make the indoor air you breathe a little bit healthier.

The sculptures use various geometric patterns and parametric systems that try to resemble plants or at least cactus and other desert looking creatures. They look pretty nice and can also be good conversation starters once people figure out it’s not a real plant. It is made from the Pure.Tech biomaterial which is made up of the tech and PLA, a bioplastic that is made from corn dextrose. This has been turned into a 100% natural mineral compound so the material used to create the living sculptures are also sustainable.

This project was actually launched back in 2020 but at that time, a Christmas tree was the only design. Now they are able to add more items in different colors, species, and formats so you can have a variety of “plants” in your home that will not die and will also prolong your life as you breathe in air that has been purified.

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How this 3D printed footwear concept tries to push the limits of tech and design

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3D printing is one of those revolutionary technologies that truly changed the world even years after it became a hot topic. Whether you’re a lone hobbyist or a small company, these seemingly magical boxes are able to bring ideas and dreams to life or at least help jump-start the process of testing and refinement. Despite its amazing achievements, 3D printing technology is actually still at its puberty stage, with plenty of room for growth and, more importantly, experimentation. Fortunately, there are plenty of designers, engineers, and dreamers who are willing and eager to push the boundaries of what 3D printers are able to accomplish, whether it’s in manufacturing, food, or design. This experimental shoe, for example, makes you look like you’re wearing some sort of sci-fi wireframe footwear, and its complex structure really puts 3D printers to the test.

Designer: Matthew Blunt

In the beginning, 3D printers naturally had very limited capabilities, able to build only closed forms or relatively simple shapes. The materials used would be variants of plastic that would be unsuitable for anything but the gentlest and driest applications. Over time, though, 3D printing has moved onto a wider variety of materials, like metal or even chocolate, and more complicated structures. EXPLR 02 builds on top of that to create a design that is one part made of geometric structures and another part inspired by nature.

The result is a pair of shoes that look like the wireframe that you’d see in 3D modeling software, though with an even higher resolution and number of empty spaces. The design, however, takes its inspiration not from those digital artifacts but from nature itself. Repeating patterns, organic forms, and an almost chaotic composition all come together to create footwear that is both beautiful and intriguing.

This kind of design also pushes the envelope of what can be produced by 3D printers, particularly because of structural and material requirements. The complex mesh structure of the shoes requires an agile and flexible 3D printer, while elasticity and durability would need to be provided by unconventional materials that might not yet be available on these printers.

Whether EXPLR 02 can be a useful and practical footwear design, however, is still an open question. The myriad holes on the shoe’s surface provide better ventilation but also has less protection for the foot inside it. The structural integrity of such a design can also be in question since the thin intersecting lines could make it less durable under rugged conditions. Once resolved, though, it could open the doors to usable 3D-printed footwear, which could, in turn, unleash the floodgates of creativity in coming up with fresh shoe designs.

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Playful Nintendo Switch Stand will charge your console, hold your JoyCons, and even dock cartridges

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This absolutely heartwarming plant-inspired stand lets you dock/charge your Nintendo Switch between long sessions of playing the new Legends of Zelda game…

Styled like a piranha plant from the Super Mario universe, this Nintendo Switch stand comes with a place to dock your main Switch device, as well as two sets of JoyCons, to make them look like a flower and two sets of leaves. The stand features a hollow conduit running through its main stem, letting you string a charger cable through so you can charge your Switch while it’s docked in the stand. Meanwhile, the ‘soil’ of the planter features multiple slots, allowing you to store game cartridges with all your saved games on them.

Designer: 3DPrintedCanadaCo

Click Here to Buy Now: $57.94 US$ 77.26 (25% Off)

The stand lets you dock your controller with or without the JoyCons, giving you a degree of freedom that feels quite liberating. Two separate offshoot stems on the main stem allow you to add multiple other JoyCons to your stand, although the stand doesn’t charge the individual JoyCons – just the main controller.

If you’re the kind to game with multiple people (or if you just bought extra controllers because of the controller drift problem), the stand has dedicated slots for stashing spare controllers. You can pop them out and play a game while the screen remains docked within the stand, making for a pretty suitable gameplay arrangement, especially if your Switch is running on low battery.

My favorite part of the design is the one detail you’re most likely to miss. The dock comes with enough slots to store up to 10 Switch cartridges, allowing you to build a mini library for all the games currently in rotation. Perfect for if you want to replay Breath of the Wild before starting Tears of the Kingdom!

Click Here to Buy Now: $57.94 US$ 77.26 (25% Off)

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Can 3D printing make fashion sustainable? This plastic handbag is made with minimal waste, and is repairable

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Rather aptly dubbed the “Reusable Bag”, this 3D-printed handbag from Malinko Design flips fashion on its head and tries to make one of the most wasteful industries a little more eco-conscious. Unlike conventional handbags made from leather or PU vegan leather, the Reusable Bag makes an odd (but justifiable) choice of being 3D printed from nylon. The reason? Well, Nylon is much more resistant to wear and tear… and if it incurs any damage, it can easily be fixed with a little 3D printing or heat! However, what’s most noteworthy about the bag is its design. It comes with a vibrant blue main body, and an orange chainlink strap that is sure to grab the attention of anyone who even glances in its general direction!

Designer: Malinko Design

For something made out of plastic, the Reusable Bag sure has an unusual design. It incorporates a variety of styles, including edgy paneling on the base, perforated strips, and a faux feather/scale design on the top. The sides of the bag have two eyelets modeled in, which allow you to attach the orange chain strap to it using the carabiner clips on each end. Relying on 3D printing allowed Malinko Design to explore more industrial details rather than relying on something too ‘fashion template-ish’.

The rigidity of the plastic bag does present one small problem – the bag’s opening. Most fabric or leather bags come with a flap, or with a zipper that lets you open and access the bag’s belongings. Having a bag that’s also flexible helps you rummage through it… something you can’t do with the Reusable Bag. The Reusable Bag, however, does come with a hinged, rigid flap on the top that opens the way a spectacle case would. The insides of the bag don’t expand when you put stuff in, as a flexible bag would, but this also encourages you to travel light and only carry the things you really need.

What’s remarkable about Malinko Design’s rather novel bag is that it pushes the envelope with fashion, experimenting with a new style and a new manufacturing procedure. The bag’s plastic construction is much more durable (and waterproof) than the average leather or fabric bag, and is, for the most part, recyclable. The plastic can be pulverized and converted into a filament and reused to 3D print other products, encouraging a circular economy around the Reusable Bag. Moreover, if the bag ever gets damaged or cracked, it can easily be fixed with a little heat, filament, and sandpaper. The strap can be fixed or replaced too, allowing you to use the bag for years to come.

Each Reusable Bag is made using 3D printing technologies, which generate significantly lesser waste than regular leather and fabric manufacturing. The bags are made to order too, reducing inventory, and take about 2 weeks to produce.

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Top 10 3D printed products designed to make sustainability a part of your everyday life

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3D Printing is gaining more momentum and popularity than ever! Designers and architects all over the world are now adopting 3D Printing for the creation of almost all types of products and structures. It’s a technique that is being widely utilized in product design, owing to its simple and innovative nature. But designers aren’t employing 3D printing only to create basic models, they’re utilizing this technique in mind-blowing ways as well! From an electric violin with a 3D-printed body to a pair of 3D-printed shoes that’ll make you feel like Bigfoot – the scope of this dependable technique is unlimited! Dive into this collection of humble yet groundbreaking 3D-printed designs.

1. 3D-printed Wrench

Look at these wrenches and you’ll almost instantly notice something different about them. Unlike the die-cast wrenches you see with solid metal bodies, these unique tools from Desktop Metal come with a textured inner surface, featuring multiple holes and cavities.

Why is it noteworthy?

The inner surface of these wrenches uses a gyroid-style in-fill, commonly seen in 3D printing to fill up inner spaces with support material while conserving plastic. The gyroid inner mass gives these metal wrenches their strength while simultaneously cutting down on material and weight. The result is the same, functional tool but with nearly 30% less mass and weight.

What we like

  • The parts have a much higher and more uniform density (up to 99%) than other metal 3D printing methods while being much faster too

What we dislike

  • The prototype wrench is less of an actual product and more of a showcase of Desktop Metal’s capabilities

2. Karen Ultralight Electric Violin

While the name Karen Ultralight Electric Violin may not be the best moniker for this instrument, it’s definitely the kind you won’t be able to ignore. Envisioned by Anima Design for Katahashi Instruments the Karen Ultralight is a dynamic electric violin that ditches conventional wooden acoustic chambers for something more eye-catching.

Why is it noteworthy?

The violin comes with a relatively hollow body made through generative design, which still provides strength with minimal use of material. The 3D-printed generative frame sits on a carbon fiber body, with a birchwood fingerboard for an elevated yet familiar playing experience. Working just like an electric guitar, the Karen Ultralight has a 1/4-inch jack output, but even sports an internal 9V battery and a headphone jack so you can ‘silently’ play music directly into your headphones without disturbing the neighbors!

What we like

  • Uses a popular design technique called generative design
  • A slot on the back lets you put in a 9V battery and plug your own headphones into the Karen, giving you the ability to play silently, right into your ear

What we dislike

  • Without trying this, we cannot say how the music produced will sound like minus the wooden timbre

3. Wilson Airless Basketball

Using a format and technique similar to those airless car tire concepts we’ve seen before, Wilson’s latest airless basketball employs a similar see-through 3D-printed mesh to create a ball that bounces just like a basketball… but looks like nothing any basketball you’ve ever seen before.

Why is it noteworthy?

Created as an experimental prototype by Wilson Sporting Goods Co.’s R&D (Basketball) division, the Airless Basketball prototype is a stunning piece of design and engineering that looks, weighs, and bounces just like a basketball, but fundamentally rethinks the ball’s physical structure and underlying physics.

What we like

  • The ball employs a 3D hexagonal mesh structure that’s highly elastic, enabling it to bounce just like a pressurized ball
  • Doesn’t need pumping for refilling

What we dislike

  • A lot of factors remain undetermined, like the ball’s lifespan, resistance to damage, how well players can grip it, whether objects can get stuck inside the ball’s mesh, how it reacts to spin, and what its overall aerodynamics are

4. The PSFF Bench

The PSFF Bench is a prototype and is a furniture piece with a sculptural appeal to it. It is 3D printed using concrete! Besides adding character to the square and enhancing its overall appeal, the bench aims to function as an off-the-shelf solution for providing public skateboard-focused furniture to places all over the world.

Why is it noteworthy?

With this project, Holland hopes to bring iconic sweeping skate landscapes, and minimal concrete design to the skating world of Southampton. It includes a collection of 3D-printed furniture pieces that are wholly focused on skating. The objects are created using concrete, and no other material.

What we like

  • The 3D-printing process is supremely optimized and produces premium-quality construction products

What we dislike

  • Aesthetics are dull and unassuming

5. The Cryptide Sneaker

The Cryptide 3D Sneaker Sintratec

The Cryptide Sneaker was designed by Stephan Henrich for Sintratec. The German architect and designer came up with a pair of full 3D shoes meant to be laser sintered with a flexible TPE material. Using a Sintratec S2 System 3D printer, the shoes were formed and printed.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Cryptide features a sole with an open design. The designer said it was made possible by SLS production (Selective Laser Sintering) and a material called Sintratec TPE elastomer. Simply put, SLS is an additive manufacturing that takes advantage of a laser to sinter particles into a more solid 3D structure. Henrich and Sintratec worked together to bring the sneaker design into reality.

What we like

  • The size and shape can adapt to the foot of the wearer
  • They remind us of the Adidas Futurecraft 4D!

What we dislike

  • They don’t rate high on aesthetics + style

6. Cozy Cleo

Based in Germany, the design studio EveryOtherDay designed this 3D-printed table lamp. It was created using recycled plastic bottles and cardboard. This sustainable product is a fine specimen of circular design and wholly embodies minimalistic design principles.

Why is it noteworthy?

The table lamp is Rasenberger’s innovative attempt to tackle the excessive wastage of cardboard, and instead incorporate it in a circular design process, providing the material with a new and redefined identity. In this entire process, almost 200g of cardboard, and 10 plastic bottles are recycled.

What we like

  • Once the lifecycle of the lamp has ended, it can be recycled, allowing the materials to once again be utilized in a completely new and different manner

What we dislike

  • Not sure if the lamp will have a long lifespan

7. The Blizzfosser

Customized to each person’s interdental crevasses, the Blizzflosser is the brainchild of Chris Martin who has already made us fans with the weirdly productive toothbrush-sponge.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Blizzflosser comes with soft floss lined according to an individual’s denture. It is washable and reusable. The floss aligned on the contraption is thin to glide through into the gaps between the teeth and does not hurt the gums. Getting one of these tailored for you is simple; Blizzbrush sends a double-sided special paste tray to you that you bite into to leave about 5mm deep impressions of your upper and lower dentures. You then snap pictures of your production and send them to the company that based on the images customizes and 3D prints a complete denture flosser for you.

What we like

  • Replicates the manual flossing techniques

What we dislike

  • People accustomed to flossing, may not like this new technique

8. Wabo

Wabo is a collection of hand boards that are created from plastic waste produced from 3D-printed prototyping. Eight million pieces of plastic make their way into the ocean on a daily basis. That’s a lot of plastic. While some brands commit themselves to gimmicky sustainable practices that have more to do with marketing than carbon-neutral manufacturing, other brands learn how to make something out of the plastic waste they produce.

Why is it noteworthy?

The multidisciplinary design studio Uido Design is a studio known for its catalog of 3D printable product designs and its team is doing something about the waste they produce during the design process. Shredding the plastic waste produced from 3D printing into bits and pieces, Uido Design uses the waste to create hand boards for users to ride the ocean waves.

What we like

  • The hand boards are handcrafted

What we dislike

  • Not a necessary product, but still fun!

9. 3D-printed Chairs

Designed by Johannes Steinbauer Office For Design, these 3D-printed chairs are produced using additive manufacturing and are created without using fabrics, springs, and foam! And they still manage to be super functional and comfortable. These chairs utilize rigid parts, instead of the typical racks from chairs.

Why is it noteworthy?

The design is simple enough with four legs, a round seat, and a single bar at the back. But if you want to add other components like more racks or even textiles, these can also be added through 3D printing. The different parts are easy to assemble and disassemble and once it reaches the end of life, you can dispose of the different parts separately and recycle them accordingly.

What we like

  • Super easy to assemble and disassemble
  • Sustainable design

What we dislike

  • No instruction on having a space-saving version of this design

10. Cullan’s 3D-printed Shoes

Designed in the metaverse by Cullan Kerner, the shoes embody an aesthetic that’s best described as ‘oddly refreshing’ and the reason is because it doesn’t stick to the constraints of regular shoe design intended for mass production. The process with shoe design is standardized to a great degree – you’ve got pre-set sizes, materials that are readily available, dies for cutting/molding these materials, and processes like stitching or gluing that bring them together

Why is it noteworthy?

Cullan’s design process, however, is completely different. For starters, the shoes were made entirely in Gravity Sketch, a free VR software that allows you to design directly in a 3D space. Cullan designed the shoes almost like a sculptor makes an art piece, creating in 3D space. The shoes are made for 3D printing – a process that still hasn’t been mass-accepted by the shoe industry. The idea is simple – Cullan’s model gets imported into a 3D printing software, and the printer meticulously builds the design layer by layer using a single flexible elastomeric material.

What we like

  • Each shoe can be designed to fit you perfectly, and they’re all made to order
  • Available as NFTs

What we dislike

  • Without an actual shoe model, we can’t say how the feet support will be and the durability of the shoe once in use

The post Top 10 3D printed products designed to make sustainability a part of your everyday life first appeared on Yanko Design.

3D-printed concrete chair uses generative design for strength and a distinct hollow aesthetic

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If the CHAIR N°ONE looks like a 3D wireframe come to life, it’s absolutely intentional. Designed by Martin Oberhauser of Studio Oberhauser, the CHAIR N°ONE is the first series of design chairs 3D printed in concrete by selective cement activation. The process involves selectively binding pieces of cement similar to the kind seen in resin 3D printing. The result is a spectacular chair that’s entirely hollow yet structurally sound. Made sustainably using recycled glass as a base material along with concrete, the CHAIR N°ONE has an appeal so unique, it transforms concrete from being a utilitarian material to one with immense sculptural and aesthetic potential.

Designer: Studio Oberhauser

The hollow, almost organic design of the CHAIR N°ONE can be attributed to its use of parametric design to achieve a form that’s equal parts durable and lightweight. Inspired by “intricate bionic structures”, the chair has an almost coral-like beauty to it, featuring a perforated exterior and a hollow interior. The chair’s form, however, remains blob-like and contours wonderfully to the human body. You’ve got a comfortable backrest as well as two armrests, almost like a hard, rigid beanbag.

The way selective cement activation works is very similar to other forms of 3D printing. Fine layers of a dry cement-sand mixture are solidified locally by applying water. This way, layer by layer, complex 3D objects can be created with a high degree of geometric freedom. The CHAIR N°ONE also uses crushed, recycled glass as a base material, providing an element of sustainability to the chair’s overall design. “The cement printing compounds can be chosen based on indoor or outdoor use of the CHAIR N°ONE, making the chair a universally usable piece of artistic design furniture”, says Martin Oberhauser.

The CHAIR N°ONE is a winner of the Red Dot Best Of Best Award for the year 2022.

The post 3D-printed concrete chair uses generative design for strength and a distinct hollow aesthetic first appeared on Yanko Design.