A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Antonino Italiano, the founder of Desmanera, the only startup that has gained access to Enrico Dini’s D-Shape technology. Mike and I covered the story, as, for a strange reason, no one outside of Italy had yet done so, but reading up on it, I realized that I really had to go pay them a visit to see for myself what a D-Shape 3D printer is capable of. Heck, I really just wanted to go see a D-Shape 3D printer in person. Shortly after getting there and speaking with Antonino (Little Tony, would be his name’s literal translation), I realized I was in for even more than I had bargained for. In a good sense, of course.
Antonino is from the Southern Italian Region of Calabria. When he was younger, he moved to Germany and started a construction company. The company grew and he moved his operations back to Italy, in the Veneto region of the North East. As probably the worst economic crisis since the Second World War hit Italy hard and its construction business harder, Antonino realized he had to think of something new to make it through the harder times ahead, so, while his traditional activities stayed afloat, he embarked on a new adventure.
“It all began when I first spoke with Enrico [Dini] and his brother Riccardo. They have many amazing ideas and a clear vision of how to use this technology to dramatically change the world and the concept itself of construction for the better,” Antonio told me. “When I saw the machine at work, in its 6 meter by 6 meter version, I realized that it could mean a huge change in the way we conceive building and construction. My wife and I though about it and we decided to try this new adventure. Surprisingly, the Dini brothers were enthusiastic about it and felt that, by combining our expertise in this sector with their technological know-how, we could achieve great results.”
The first result saw Antonino found a startup – that the Dinis are part of – and began testing out the machine. This was happening in 2013 and the company was started in early 2014. What they have achieved since is nothing short of amazing, although a lot more needs to be done to turn the D-Shape into a truly profitable business. Which business is that? A construction 3D printing service – specializing in materials research, artistic and archeological preservation, advanced, experimental architecture, and high quality, innovative finishes. No one at this point has the geometrical capabilities working with stone materials that Desamanera has through D-Shape technology. And – as we will see – no one can combine these capabilities with Antonino’s experience and materials know-how. This is the new and unique approach to construction as “Desamanera”, which in the Calabrian dialect means “in this manner”.
First of all, the D-Shape 3D printer works through a binder jetting process. The largest version ever assembled had a 6 x 6 x 6 meter build volume and the one currently being used inside the Desamanera warehouse measures 3 x 3 x 3 meters. There are no pre-set limits as to how large the machine can be. Its primary industrial counterpart would be voxeljet’s technology, which, however, has very different uses at this point. The machine uses Zandobbio White dolomite rock, an eco-sustainable rock material that is combined with equally “green” dry binder and liquid binder. These experience a particular chemical reaction that basically “sinters” the stone voxels together. Each voxel on the D-Shape is currently set at 5 x 5 x 5 mm, which may seem huge, but it must be considered that the machine builds very large structures and resolution is relative.
“We are already working on a more accurate version,” Antonino said. But some of the parts that have already been built with this version are quite impressive. Antonino showed me a set of steps, the first object they 3D printed, and compared them to the objects they are printing now. Just like with any 3D printer, the experience and know-how of the people behind it can make a huge difference. Along with Antonio’s construction abilities, a significant contribution came from Andrea Beretta, the computer engineer in charge of all software development.
Desmanera’s current construction work includes an ongoing collaboration with Janjaap Ruijssenaars (in collaboration with the mathematician and artist Rinus Roelofs) for the 3D printer; Mobius-inspired Landscape House, reconstructing the coral reefs of Bahrein; as well as several artistic and archeological projects, from Yassi Mazandi’s Flower to Shiro Studios highly recognizable Radiolaria structure, of which Desmanera has built several smaller replicas.
These are the projects relating to generating complex geometry and pure machine capabilities. However, the real added value in house construction, as in any segment of manufacturing, is in the finish. For this, Desamanera has developed a unique marble-based material, called Marmo Liquido™ (liquid marble), that can be applied to any 3D printed (and non-3D printed) surface and material, giving it the same, elegant and smooth look and feel as traditional marble.
This means that any surface could be 3D printed using lighter mineral-based (or even polymer-based) materials, thus effectively producing light, complex marble structures that could not be manufactured in any other way. This liquid marble finish can also be enriched with additives in order to give it surprising, new properties.
The effect when Antonino turned off the light was truly stunning. As my mind wondered through what seemed like a galaxy of fluorescent marble structures, I realized that this way, “Desamanera”, of constructing is not just about using 3D printing to make buildings, but to use buildings in order to push the limits of 3D printing. And I cannot wait to see what new possibilities await.
