As 3D printing platforms go, Kwambio is one of the more interesting ones. Officially launched last summer, the platform immediately set itself apart from the sea of other platforms in several ways. Files are guaranteed to print, fully customizable, and stream directly to customers’ 3D printers, eliminating the risk of intellectual property theft. In January, the site re-launched with a new design and several new featured professional designers. Now Kwambio is updating their services again with a new free iOS app.
The Kwambio app does more than simply make the website mobile. Its coolest feature is undoubtedly its 3D visualization tool – the first of its kind for a mobile app, according to Kwambio. The tool allows customers to get a photorealistic look at products from all angles and in a variety of materials and finishes as they contemplate alterations and/or purchase. Browsing and ordering are quick and easy, and shipping is free, as is the app itself. The Kwambio app requires iOS 8 or up, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The new app isn’t the only development coming from Kwambio as they continue to expand. This month, the company will be opening their own factory facility to ensure that all 3D printed products are of the highest quality, and also to facilitate much faster delivery times. It will also provide Kwambio with a much more cost-effective way to 3D print ceramic items on demand.
Another thing that sets Kwambio apart from other 3D printing platforms is that they don’t do plastic. While most platforms are continuing to increase the variety of materials they offer, plastics are still a staple of most, if not all, 3D printing sites. Not Kwambio, however – all items are metal or ceramic only, which enhances their “fine art only” philosophy. That doesn’t mean their selection of materials is limited, though – far from it. Ceramic materials include – just to name a few – porcelain, terra cotta, and stoneware, with several different glazes to choose from, while their metal options range from gold and silver to stainless steel and brass.
If you haven’t checked out Kwambio’s website lately, do so. They have some pretty impressive designers working for them, and their selection of 3D printed jewelry and home goods products is constantly changing – though some popular designs appear to be there to stay, at least for quite a while. According to Kwambio, the most well-known pieces in their collection are Jim Drain’s wearable sculptures, which are inspired by a large commissioned sculpture he made outside of the US Embassy in Rabat, Morocco.
If you head over to the site, also be sure to check out Kwambio’s current limited edition feature: the Swell Vase by Chen Chen and Kai Williams. When they say limited, they mean it – there are only 15 of the vases available in bronze plated white metal, and 15 in black matte porcelain. If you’re the type of person who loves having things that few or no other people have, Kwambio is the site for you; as the company states, their mission is to “fill the world with unique, one-of-a-kind objects — not mass-produced monotony.”
Discuss in the Kwambio 3D Printing Platform New App forum over at 3DPB.com.
Swell Vases by Chen Chen and Kai Williams
