Robotic 3D printing of custom design furniture

Extreme flexibility and design freedom: choosing robotic additve manufacturing for custom design furniture

Furniture has always been considered a durable good, but even this sector has been facing hyper-consumerism and the standardization of lines and proposals. From the analysis of this context arises the creative concept of Elli Design, which has built a solid collaboration with Caracol, leveraging on its 3D printing robotic technology’s capability. Thanks to the capabilities of Caracol’s team, Elli has reshaped the development and production of his design lines with a valuable degree of sustainability and customization, addressing interior projects for public, commercial and hospitality spaces.

Elli, Italian innovative startup, was founded by the CEO Alessio Elli and the COO Alessio Frigeri in 2021. They had in mind three main drivers: sustainability and circular economy; innovation and technology; and social responsibility. Their goal was to bring these pillars to life into tangible objects that could translate into a new Italian design aesthetic as well as adopt a new approach to manufacturing, focusing a lot on customization and modularity of their furniture elements.

“We make furniture that meet the principles of eco-design: use of recycled and recyclable materials at the end of their life; design for circularity which wants multifunctional, adaptable, reusable, repairable products; planning of second hand, Extra-Life and Made&Remade practices” – says the CEO, Alessio Elli. “Our manufacturing processes counteract value destruction, having in mind the entire life cycle of the product. For this reason, we have chosen Caracol’s robotic platform Heron AM to produce our products, and we have asked the support of their team to truly leverage the opportunities and potential of innovation and additive manufacturing, while guaranteeing equal quality and creativity that distinguishes Made in Italy design.”

The great market validation for the company has been the numerous awards and recognitions achieved: starting from 2023, when the Italy-USA Foundation nominated Elli Designed as the best Italian innovative startup with the America Award – Innovation. In the same year, ZERO Furniture System won the Archiproducts Design Award for Sustainability, and DOUBLE Armchair was acknowledged as the Best product of the show and Sustainability at the BDNY in New York.

The fruitful collaboration with Caracol, to bring innovation within the manufacturing of these design series, started even earlier than that – from the inception of Elli as a startup. Besides the DOUBLE Armchair and ZERO system, Caracol supported Elli with the concept development and 3D printing of SOHO Dining Table and Chair as well as BRYANT Coffee Table. In both cases, the use of LFAM technology unlocked new ways of making furniture that enhanced design freedom and production optimization. The circular shapes of both tables, together with their peculiar surfaces’ patterns, wouldn’t be possible or would require multi-steps production processes in case of traditional manufacturing techniques such as injection molding and rotomoulding. Morevoer, the optimization of the design facilitated the assembly of each table’s base with its top, thanks to custom hooks directly integrated within the base.

DOUBLE is an indoor armchair previewed at BDNY2023 in New York and winner of the Best Product of the Show and Sustainability awards. The design concept centres on balancing aesthetics, form, and function, with a strong emphasis on minimizing environmental impact during production, using biodegradable materials, and promoting recovery, reuse, and remanufacturing at the end of the product’s life.

Characterized by soft, flowing lines and elegant curves, this furniture piece is designed for public spaces, lobbies and hotel rooms, with a view to sharing and conviviality. To improve the ergonomics, thus the comfort of the seat without compromising its edgy shapes, the 3D modelling has been key. At the same time, the real need of extreme customization translated into a unique design – that wouldn’t be possible with traditional manufacturing techniques, to decline in several distinguishing colours.

Key Facts

• TECHNOLOGY: LFAM Heron AM 300 with HV extruder
• MATERIAL: PLA
• SIZE AND WEIGHT: 60x50x73 cm, 6 kg
• 3D PRINTING NOZZLE SIZE: 5 mm
• 3D PRINTING TIME: 12 hours
• LEAD TIME REDUCTION: 2-3 days, from concept design to production of the finished product

ZERO is the Winner of the Archiproducts Design Award for Sustainability 2023, the highest expression of the concept “simplification is the greatest sophistication” and stresses out the intrinsic peculiarities of a furniture product such as durability, reuse, and repair. ZERO project asks for responsibility, by going back to the essential of design: Matter – Form – Function.

Compared to products with similar form and function, ZERO system is made of only 2 materials, assembled without the use of glues. The structural bodies of each element have been designed and 3D printed with functional hooks for smooth and durable assembly.

The use of Caracol’s large format additive manufacturing technology, Heron AM, enabled Elli Design’s production to generate net zero waste, with the broader possibility of reuse of material of non-conforming products. The improved lightness positively impacted on the logistics and production spaces, together with the modularity of these elements that can be printed directly from the 3D design, following custom sizes and requirements. Finally, designing and engineering for additive manufacturing, and 3D printing with Heron AM platform led to drastically reduce the construction complexity, eliminating pre- and post-production processing steps.

Key Facts

TECHNOLOGY: LFAM Heron AM 300 with HA, for all elements of ZERO system:

ZERO Ellipse

• MATERIAL: rPP 30GF
• SIZE AND WEIGHT: 150x60x53 cm; 12 kg
• 3D PRINTING NOZZLE SIZE: 4 mm
• 3D PRINTING TIME: 12 hours
• LEAD TIME REDUCTION: 2-3 days, from concept design to production of the finished product

ZERO Round

• MATERIAL: rPP 30 GF
• SIZE AND WEIGHT: 80x80x45 cm; 10 kg
• 3D PRINTING NOZZLE SIZE: 3 mm
• 3D PRINTING TIME: 7 hours
• LEAD TIME REDUCTION: 2 days, from concept design to production of the finished product

ZERO Donut

• MATERIAL: PLA
• SIZE AND WEIGHT: D 45 cm, H 45 cm; 5 kg
• 3D PRINTING NOZZLE SIZE: 3 mm
• 3D PRINTING TIME: 8,5 hours
• LEAD TIME REDUCTION: 2 days, from concept design to production of the finished product

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