Steelcase & MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab are bringing us the next level of 3D printed furniture

If you watch our weekly TOP 5 videos each Sunday, then you will already be familiar with Steelcase, the largest office furniture company in the world who has incorporated 3D printing into the heart of their designs; bringing their creations and imagination to life. With their already innovative company, they are now pushing creativity to the max thanks to MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab who have partnered up to help potentially change the future of furniture design and creation.

Due to time and sometimes lack of print quality, many manufacturers have put the adoption of 3D printing on hold. But, those at MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab believe that they have found the solution to this issue, and it’s as simple as a tub of gel and a long tube. Using a new technique called “Rapid Liquid Printing”, the two partners are hoping to create a product that is more refined with faster creation time than the traditional methods and processes seen today

The processes uses a gel with a long tube.

This new printing process can create pieces of furniture and other products in only minutes using rubber, foam, plastic and other industrial liquid material. Using a long tube, it injects hard plastic or flexible rubber into a tub of gel that suspends and supports the structures as they are being printed. Through this new printing process, the prints are printed without the use of layers, post processes or dissolving/breaking off of supports. This means that the final stage only requires you to simply remove the part from the gel and wash it with water.