Caracol at Isola Digital District 2020

Caracol is glad to be part of the digital edition of Isola Design District 2020. The innovative exhibition space was developed by the district to work around the difficulties generated by the COVID-19 emergency and the resulting cancellation of the annual edition of Milano Design Week.

Caracol has exhibited its original work in Isola Design District’s space over the last few years. The projects presented have always been representative of its values: innovation, sustainability, and efficiency. Caracol has therefore decided to continue this partnership also in its new digital format.
In this virtual space, Caracol will be exhibiting its work in a new context, together with other talented professionals from the world of design and manufacturing. Isola Digital District will be live starting from launch week, from the 16th to the 21st of June, that’ll be filled with interesting events.
With this digital edition of Isola Design District, you’ll be able to get to know Caracol through the dedicated page on Isola Design Community – where we’ll be updating with the content on our work and projects – and get to know some of our projects up close in the Virtual Exhibition area. For this event we selected three projects:

Trichodès: a new project by Caracol that embodies the research and development work that the company continues to carry out.
3D design has its own language, of which one generally has access to preset words and terminology. Thanks to Caracol’s in-depth knowledge of the topic of parametric and generative design, we’ve gained access to this alphabet’s individual letters.

In line with its ability to customize its solutions for its customers, Caracol has developed Trichodès: living, capillary structures that can be shaped and adapted according to individual tastes and needs. Customers can interact with the designer to personalize aspects of these made-to-order furnishings. Elements such as the density of the branches, height and width of the structure, and casting material can be customized.

The unique Trichodès modules are impossible shapes designed according to the logic of parametric design. They come to life thanks to Caracol’s proprietary robotic technology, capable of 3D printing complex, large shapes. Printing these shapes in 3D, in addition to giving complete flexibility in creating singular pieces, reduces the cost of materials to the essential, avoiding the production waste that other traditional methods would generate. These shapes, printed with a special resin, are then cast in aluminum, copper, or bronze.

3D Printed Reusable Protective Masks, was a project developed to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, to find a solution to the national need for protective equipment. Caracol developed reusable masks, 3D printed with a cytotoxic and hypoallergenic polymeric material, medically certified, that are distributed in kits with 20 interchangeable filters. By simply substituting the filter (tested by the Polytechnic University of Milan, with a BFE of 99,8%) it guarantees an economical, safe and sustainable solution for the user. The masks, CE certified for medical use, are now being produced to respond the high number of requests.
The project was developed with the objective of donating part of production to who needed the masks most. Caracol’s community actively participated in collecting the funds to develop and produce these masks. They were then donated to different institutions, such as the Italian Red Cross, numerous municipalities across Italy who’ve had a harder time accessing national supplies of equipment and therapeutic centers.

Thanks to additive manufacturing technology’s extreme flexibility in the design process, over 200 prototypes were developed and tested in terms of functionality, ergonomic fit and filter protection. The beta testing phase was done thanks to the collaboration of a network of over 20 doctors, policemen, civil protection operators and privates. Through rapid prototyping it was possible to quickly create a design that responded to all their needs.

Proprietary Robotic System is the proprietary technology that Caracol developed in order to 3D print large scale advanced components. 3D printing wants to solve problems related to traditional manufacturing methods, but existing technologies still present a lot of limits. To overcome these limitations Caracol patented an extrusion system mounted on a robotic arm, Scalprum 13800.

This advanced system enables the manufacturing of very large scale, advanced components. Furthermore, it works with composite materials, such as techno polymers reinforced with fibers (e.g., carbon fiber, glass fiber), and recycled plastics from industrial waste. The extreme flexibility of this technology provides the opportunity of finding the ideal material for any component produced. It is also equipped with an integrated software that controls production flow, design, the robot’s programming and printing parameters.

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