3D printing is expanding to reach all corners of design, from 3D printed parts for the military to 3D printed houses, and everything in between. The interiors products coming to market are injecting fresh ideas into a new design language made possible by 3D printing tech.
Ruche, a new collection of 3D printed light shades by Plumen, speaks that language.
Plumen partnered with designer and engineer Hook Phanthasuporn to explore new forms and aesthetics that 3D printing makes possible, and to use the 3D printing process to create something that reduces the amount of polluting transportation requires to get from fabrication to the end customer.
Plumen wants to push through the boundaries it feels 3D printed designs currently struggle with – finding a language that captures the delicacy of human craft in a rendered product.
“Because 3D printing allows such speed in transition from software to physical product, it’s all too easy to rapidly build models without a considered approach to design,” reads the Plumen announcement. “In turn, so many 3D printed products are algorithmically generated and lack the nuances of human touch. Plumen sees this is a missed opportunity. 3D printing really allows a broader vocabulary of form, unconstrained by traditional fabrication techniques and thus allows for more expression, not less.”
“The thing about 3D is when you’re preparing something for production, there are usually some very significant constraints, because of how they’re lifted out of molds or pressed,” says Nik Roope, co-founder and creative director of Plumen. “There are often large numbers you need to meet to make things cheaper. With 3D you have an incredible opportunity because you don’t have to think about molds. You can play with more and more sophisticated design, and the form is much freer than you could normally work with.”
Plumen designed Ruche to hold a balance of beauty, informed by the natural world, and practicality. Ruche sought to design something that looked like it could have grown from a seed.
“Ruche is made up of repeating strips that, like leaf forms, flow from youthful tips to mature, fanned out fins. These fins cut across each other in an impossible configuration that still, to the eye, feel harmonious and natural. Adjusting the repeating forms allows the vessels to grow to larger volumes and the shapes have been adapted to flow around the various bulb formats in Plumen’s growing range.
Plumen worked sustainable materials and manufacturing processes into Ruche’s design.
The shades are made with biodegradable PLA, a bioactive polyester from renewable sources such as cornstarch and sugarcane. Recycled material is available on request. The shades are made-to-order and printed locally, so they don’t need to be shipped across the globe or take up unnecessary space in warehouses. Because they are made-to-order, designers can customize widely for bespoke runs.
“We’re trying to entice people to use more sustainable products, and 3D printing is helping us do that.”
Plumen designed Ruche to complement each of Plumen’s unique, energy efficient light bulbs.
“With everything we design, including Ruche, we want to create a beautiful surrounding for the bulb – to create a relationship between the shade and the bulb,” said Mr. Roope.
The shades can be hung in hospitality and contract environments.
We spoke with Mr. Roope about the future of 3D printing, and where he sees the field going. He noted that the technology and design quality will continue to grow, while cost will go down. And he predicts a world with more mixed 3D printed products.
“I think we’ll begin to see more products that have both mass-produced and 3D printed parts, integrated together instead of siloing the products into two separate categories of 3D printed products and mass produced. The materials explosion happening right now is making this possible. We’ll see all of these materials snapping together to create really interesting products.”