3D printing has been something of a miracle for product designers, and especially for individual designers or small startups, as it enables the production of unique or one-off pieces. London-based Batch.works is a design startup that has exploited the benefits of additive manufacturing to create a collection of homeware items. The collection, which was unveiled this month, was realized in collaboration with Warsaw-based design practice UAU and Paris-based Bold Design.
The 3D printed homeware collection includes a number of pieces, including lighting, candle holders, vases and various containers. Each of the products was 3D printed at Batch.works’ studio in East London using FDM printers and recycled, bio-based PLA. The design studio wanted to emphasize its use of recycled plastic and its commitment to sustainable consumption.
“People are becoming more and more aware of the impact of mass production and the fossil fuel plastics that are directly related to climate change,” explained Batch.works founder Julien Vaissieres. “Batch.works is bringing a more environmentally friendly option to the market by using recycled and renewable materials and local manufacturing. Our innovative production process eliminates waste—we keep all our plastic waste to turn them back into products!”
For a debut collection, the 3D printed pieces are impressive. They come in a variety of colours and expertly combine aesthetics with functionality. The colour palette was carefully selected by Batch.works designers and includes trendy pastels and darker shades. The design studio has even created their very own take of Pantone’s colour of the year, Living Coral.
Notably, the collection includes designs by UAU, which was inspired by the form of sea urchins, and Bold Design.
“We met Julien from Batch.works after discovering his work on Instagram, as our fields were pretty similar,” said Paris-based Bold Design. “It felt right to do something together, as our two companies are complementary. We love to explore and experiment with the limitations of tools, and find out how to express potential. We believe Batch.works is creating something new by producing accessible consumer goods from the centre of the city.”
Following the success of its international collaborations, Batch.works aims to work with more design studios and designers from around the globe. Ultimately, the startup plans to launch a Batch Market platform which will host a range of innovative 3D printable products.
The startup also has ambitious plans to scale up its production capacity by 500% by 2020, which will be achieved by setting up smart factories in cities around the world. These resources will enable products to be 3D printed locally, on demand and from sustainable, recycled materials.
“Not only will this establish a new standard for 3D printing and product design, we aim to revive the possibilities of local manufacturing using recycled and responsibly sourced materials,” Vaissieres concluded. “After printing over 15,000 products over the last two years—and working with global companies including Paperchase and Spaces—we want to bring Batch.works products to the consumer. Our aim is to disrupt production and the manufacturing industry by streamlining the process in an efficient and eco-friendly way, controlling every step of the design fabrication and packing.”
Source: 3dprintingmedia.network
