Design Challenge:
This unusual project was the result of a collaboration between New Design Magazine and Touch Interactive. New Design Magazine approached Touch Interactive to investigate current innovations in rapid prototype technologies and '3D printing' and to write an article based on these findings. We did this and took their request one step further by exploring the future of 3D printing and illustrating our findings with future concepts. The result can be seen in their magazine (issue 6, September/October 2001, page 80,81).
Design Solution:
The research suggested an exciting future for product design with a host of new products and tools to develop and manufacture complex designs from the comfort of our own offices and homes. It is possible that within 10 years we will have 3D printers that could end up costing as little as an inkjet printer which will allow for the production of many custom made products with working mechanics and complex materials in the same way furniture designers create one-off items for individual clients today.
The '3D printer' concept is designed as an integral part of the whole concept solution. The concept uses intelligent '3D ink' tubes which the user can place around the surface of the printer to allow the production of objects with various colours and material properties. The tools themselves, which sit around the creative table, range from pen based tools for sketching and creating derivative 2D shapes, to hand-held haptic input devices for editing and manipulating 3D virtual models as they are built.
 read article in pdf format,
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