Mataerial is a brand new method of additive manufacturing. This patent-pending method allows for creating 3D objects on any given working surface independently of its inclination and smoothness, and without a need of additional support structures.
Conventional methods of additive manufacturing have been affected both by gravity and printing environment: creation of 3D objects on irregular, or non-horizontal surfaces has so far been treated as impossible.
By using innovative extrusion technology the company are now able to neutralise the effect of gravity during the course of the printing process. This method gives a flexibility to create truly natural objects by making 3D curves instead of 2D layers. Unlike 2D layers that are ignorant to the structure of the object, the 3D curves can follow exact stress lines of a custom shape.
The robots arm deposits a mix a secret recipe of thermoset polymers that harden at the same time they are pushed out to the extruder, the process appears to generate threads out of thin air. The technology also allows the injection of coloured dye in CMYK mode allowing an object to be printed in multiple colours
The new fabrication method is the result of the collaborative research between Petr Novikov, Saša Jokić from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) and Joris Laarman Studio. IAAC tutors representing Open Thesis Fabrication Program provided their advice and professional expertise. During the course of the research we developed a brand new digital fabrication method and a working prototype that can open a door to a number of practical applications