Greenkern
Essay Katharina Hahn
3D Printer: 21. Century Industrial Revolution?
A revolutionary production process changes the contemporary understanding of brands. The introduction of 3D printing is shifting the production of objects from the factory to the home. It enables consumers to free themselves from traditional suppliers and gives them the choice to follow their own acquisition strategy. Due to this development, brands need to redefine their status as well as their sovereignty of production. This year, renowned art institution Ars Electronica and Volkswagen AG will once again exhibit a joint project at Volkswagen Automobil Forum Unter den Linden in Berlin. This year‘s theme „Impuls + Bewegung“ (Impulse + Movement) raises the issue of how consumers today are caught between self-determination and disempowerment, especially in urban spaces. One of the exhibits examines an everyday object from this angle - a shoe. What is so special about it? It is neither custom-made over many hours, nor one among many mass-produced shoes. This shoe is printed. Melonia Shoes by Naim Josefi (2010)
Credit: Andreas Larsson
„‘Melonia Shoes‘ are made entirely of polyamide and produced by 3D printing. The shoes are built in one piece and, in case the owner does not like them anymore, can be reproduced by melting the material and re-using it for new ones. The striking shoes already proofed their functionality at this year‘s Stockholm fashion show.“
Stand:
17. Dezember 2012 20:39
© GREENKERN 2011 | Page 1/4
Printing is the new manufacturing Three-dimensional printing is not new; it has been applied in science and industry for years. But due to advances in technology it is now becoming increasingly relevant for private costumers. It is as easy as this: what can be printed with ink on paper, can also be printed using solid materials such as plastics, metal powder, gypsum or synthetic resin. Using a laser and powder, objects are being built, micrometer-thin layer by layer.
3D Printer: 21. Century Industrial Revolution?
A revolutionary production process changes the contemporary understanding of brands. The introduction of 3D printing is shifting the production of objects from the factory to the home. It enables consumers to free themselves from traditional suppliers and gives them the choice to follow their own acquisition strategy. Due to this development, brands need to redefine their status as well as their sovereignty of production. This year, renowned art institution Ars Electronica and Volkswagen AG will once again exhibit a joint project at Volkswagen Automobil Forum Unter den Linden in Berlin. This year‘s theme „Impuls + Bewegung“ (Impulse + Movement) raises the issue of how consumers today are caught between self-determination and disempowerment, especially in urban spaces. One of the exhibits examines an everyday object from this angle - a shoe. What is so special about it? It is neither custom-made over many hours, nor one among many mass-produced shoes. This shoe is printed. Melonia Shoes by Naim Josefi (2010)
Credit: Andreas Larsson
„‘Melonia Shoes‘ are made entirely of polyamide and produced by 3D printing. The shoes are built in one piece and, in case the owner does not like them anymore, can be reproduced by melting the material and re-using it for new ones. The striking shoes already proofed their functionality at this year‘s Stockholm fashion show.“
Stand:
17. Dezember 2012 20:39
© GREENKERN 2011 | Page 1/4
Printing is the new manufacturing Three-dimensional printing is not new; it has been applied in science and industry for years. But due to advances in technology it is now becoming increasingly relevant for private costumers. It is as easy as this: what can be printed with ink on paper, can also be printed using solid materials such as plastics, metal powder, gypsum or synthetic resin. Using a laser and powder, objects are being built, micrometer-thin layer by layer.