First 3D Printed Chaiselongue at Milan Design Week 2018

May 13, 2018

First 3D Printed Chaiselongue at Milan Design Week 2018

At Milan Design Week 2018, you can find a collaborative exhibition from Philipp Aduatz and incremental3d which is showcasing the ‘Digital Chaiselongue’ prototype made using 3D printed concrete.

This year’s Milan Design Week, taking place between the 17th and 22nd of April will see impressive 3D printed projects including a 3D printed housedesigned by famed Italian Architect Massimiliano Locatelli.

But, that’s not all as a collaborative exhibition from incremental3d, the Austrian 3D printing startup, and Philipp Aduatz, the Vienna based designer, will show off the benefits of 3D printed concrete for furniture design.

Together, the pairing has created a chair called the digital chaiselongue. It was designed by Aduatz and printed by incremental3d using concrete reinforced by carbon fiber. It will be on display at Via Paisiello 6 in Milan during the design week.

With this chaiselongue, incremental3d is aiming to show off the possibilities of their technology and material. To do this, Aduatz’s designs are deliberately complex. But, the startup’s digital fabrication technology ensures concrete geometries can be printed quickly.

“The concept is to use the new technology developed by incremental3d for a complex freeform design by Philipp Aduatz and show the new possibilities of creating complex shapes in an application for furniture design,” incremental3d explains on their website.

Concrete Chaiselongue is Complex… but is it Comfy?

To create the chaiselongue, the team first 3D printed a negative mold from concrete. Then, the complete geometry was printed in less than an hour onto the cast. In sensitive areas of the print, they added carbon fibers to ensure strength.

The final touch is to finish the seat “using a UV-resistant polyurethane coating in delicate handcraft”. The startup adds, “this should demonstrate that craft and digital technologies can coexist for the purpose of innovation in the 21st century in harmony.”

Although the design certainly looks complex and shows off the technology, it doesn’t look like the most welcoming place to relax and read a book.

However, Aduatz will also have other chairs on the show. For example, the ‘cloud chair’, made from polyurethane foam and glass fibers. Also, the ‘gradient tiles chair’ created using leftover materials from a refurbishment of his studio. The finish for the ‘gradient tiles chair’ is 10,000 tiles all placed by hand.

Find out more about Aduatz’s work by visiting his website. Also, visit the Milan Design Week 2018 page to learn more about the 3D printed designs on display.