Spazio Z/ Polymaker
Chinese design studio Spazio Z has used custom-built, large-format extrusion 3D printing technology and a Polymaker PLA filament to create ‘an artistic landscape product.’
The Digital Circular Pavilion sculpture is made up of a range of 3D printed modular pieces that have been assembled to form a piece of art that also acts as a social meeting place.
In producing the 3D printed pieces, Spazio Z used 100 of its large-scale 3D printers and more than 800kg of Polymaker’s L3003 PLA filament, with each part taking around a month to be printed. The resulting sculpture is one of 20 art installations in ‘Design Shanghai 2021’ and stands in front of the old Shikumen building in Xintiandi, Shanghai. Its upward-growing branches have been designed to form an ‘organic space to escape from the urban style of downtown Shanghai’, while the white surface finish is said to contrast with the ‘dark grey background colour of Shikumen’, according to Spazio Z founder Zihan Zhao.
Spazio Z’s use of 3D printing is becoming increasingly more common as it transitions digital artwork into the physical space. In this project, it teamed the L3003 PLA filament, which has been commercialised by Polymaker for ‘high volume printing in production, print farms and large projects,’ with its custom-made 3D printers before putting the parts through a coating process. PLA was selected after an in-depth analysis of the physical force, overall load-bearing, structural curvature and other factors of a single module, with the material being deemed suitable when backed with an aluminium armature and coated in polyester filler. Coating the printed pieces in polyester filler and sanding smooth, the pavilion sections were strengthened, protected from UV and heat radiation, and garnered a clean smooth surface without textures or layer lines. Once coated, the pieces were assembled into five large module groups and transported to the site for final assembly.
Harnessing 3D printing, Spazio Z says it completed the work at a lower cost than it would have done if it used traditional methods. When the exhibition comes to an end, the sculpture will be disassembled and recycled.
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