I’m in the process of constructing a custom home with my soon-to-be wife Heidi. Over the course of the last year and a half we have been trying to envision what our dream home will eventually look like. As each step in the construction process progresses, we get closer and closer to finally realizing our vision, hopefully in the way we have been imagining it.
Because our home is custom designed and not simply chosen from a set of cookie cutter plans, we had to make an extraordinary number of decisions during the design process. Both Heidi and I had a really hard time trying to picture just what each room would look like. In the kitchen, should we put a second island with a prep sink in between the cabinets and the bar island? Do we have enough room for a large table in the morning room? These were all questions we had to ask ourselves, and rely on the designers and our imagination to decide upon.
Over the last few months I have come to the realization that if our builder was capable of 3D printing a model of each room in our future home prior to construction, I probably would have paid the extra money for this service. Currently, however, not many builders or designers out there are comfortable enough using these technologies.
One exception is a company based in the Netherlands called Tinello Kitchen & Interior. Although they specialize mainly in kitchen design, they are one of the early adopters of 3D printing within the field.
At a fair in Rotterdam this past weekend, Tinello, which has been designing kitchens for over 20 years, was on hand to show off their 3D printed kitchen models. The models are offered to customers as part of their service, and are incredibly detailed and perfect for those unable to imagine the look of a room design from a simple 2D drawing.
The director of the company, Frans Klis, believes that Tinello is the first kitchen design company in the world to use 3D printing in this way. The company worked in partnership with 3D Systems Benelux, creating a highly accurate method for this purpose only. The process relies on a powder bed jetting machine from 3D Systems to create the models. The bulk of the process can be seen in the video provided below:
Although I’ve personally missed out on the 3D printing trend when it comes to home design, it’s nice to know that in 20 years when I redesign my kitchen this option will be available. On second thought, we may be 3D printing actual kitchens by then.
Let’s hear your thoughts on this awesome new visualization technique for home design. Discuss in the Tinello 3D Printed Kitchen forum thread on 3DPB.com.
