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3D printing and design go hand in hand, more than one time showing incredible geometries and forms as a result of the augmented design liberty. The newest proponent is a collaboration between Studio INTEGRATE and Morgan Studio to design and manufacture a series of table and chairs named RIO, empowered by 3D printing to create mathematically generated shapes to obtain unique elements each time. The final pieces are a unique merge of traditional furniture craft and advanced manufacturing

These luxurious pieces of furniture are only partially 3D printed and are aimed at the commercial furniture market. The pieces, conceived by Studio INTEGRATE’s Mehran Gharleghi and sold by Morgan combine its renowned timber craftsmanship with Studio INTEGRATE’s passion for cutting edge design methods; the result being a unique furniture collection that appears to have been hand-sculpted, but is in fact the result of logarithmic simulation.

The chair series features three distinct design differences, residing in the back rest: tactile timber, 3D printed of lattice structure. The 3D printed back rest is particularly exciting because of how it’s been designed. A computer program was developed to create unique design patterns while keeping a consistent theme across the series, enabling the firm to create unique pieces of furniture every time





“We had achieved the right shape but wanted to add something new,” Gharleghi told. “I removed as much material as possible to make the backrest lighter and flexible for extra comfort while maintaining its strength. The final design resulted in a form which looks like inner structures of bone. It is nice to touch, and there are no joints. Even the connections to the chair base are from the same single piece of polyamide, making it incredibly strong.”

Apart from the chair designs manufactured out of wood, brass, or powder-coated metal legs, the series also includes a set of small tables which exploit the same principles of their chair cousins. The connection between the top and legs of the design is developed as a simulation of lattice structures which are then 3D printed for the occasion. Small variations in the variables of the computer program make the lattice structure thicker, wider and more in order to produce pieces of furniture that are always different.


“This is an exciting new departure for us at Morgan and indeed new for the market,” commented Morgan Studio design director Katerina McMahon. “3D printing is recognized commercially for small items like jewelry and accessories and then many experimental projects but not much in between.”

This series is very reminescent of the Xuberant furniture design and, as time goes by, they will be followed by a number of other firms embracing 3D printing as a design tool like no other.

Tags: 3dprinting, 3dprint, furniture

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