One observation I hear very often from those involved with 3D printing is that the technology is there and may have limits, however the single biggest limit is that designers (and engineers, actually mostly the engineers) have not yet fully understood how to exploit the new creative possibilities it offers. The best and possibly only way to do explore them could be to understand exactly how the technology works and that is where Caracol, a young Design Studio based in Milan’s Navigli District, comes in.
The studios four founders are are a multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary group, formed by an engineer from Colombia, two designers from Milan’s Politecnico University and an Economy graduate. They have combined their academic experiences to embark in a project which focuses on design applications for interiors and exteriors, starting from an in-depth knowledge of 3D printing.
In fact the team has been experimenting with more technologies than most makers, assembling two Rostock delta 3D printers and tinkering non-stop with their DeltaWASP 2040. That, however, is just the beginning since Felipe, the engineer (whom you may remember because he contributed extensively to 3DPI’s review of the 3ntr 3D printer) has also been working on exploring several systems such as the Open Beam Kossel and other open source kits, including the very interesting and somewhat mysterious RepRap Morgan.
The result is that the 3D prints made by Caracol have an excellent quality and precision. In certain cases they almost look like photopolimer made products. Liquid resin based technologies could in fact be the next area of exploration for the team.
By embodying the meeting point of three aspects of the creative cycle: design, engineering and rapid prototyping, Caracol carries out both its own work and commissioned 3D printing realted projects, ranging from sculpture to jewelery, passing through the lighting, while focusing a lot on “3D machine aesthetics”.
“Our first aim is to build new printers that can enable us to work with greater volumes, in order to prototype artifacts of larger scale and support the production of systems project with a focus on social values,” Jacopo Gervasini, one of the studios co-founders, told me during our long conversation revolving on all aspect of 3D printing. “Working within the right channels we are discovering that there is a very high demand for the type of unique and original desgins we can create with 3D printing.”
The lofted studio, located near Milan’s newly renovated docks, is a bright space full of 3D prints and 3D printers. They have experiented with both standard PLA as well as with a ver ywide range of materials, in particular the metal based and carbon fiber based alloy filaments from colorFabb. While waiting for the arrival of larger size 3D printers Caracol’s approach to large internal and external structures is that of using 3D printing and their extensive design capabilities (mostly with Rhino and 3D Max) to create complex modular structures, such as the Bilbo modular lamp.
For this and other projects they also experiment with multi-materiality and multi-technologies, including laser cutting and CNC’ing for implementing more “noble” materials such as wood and metal. Their experience with 3D printing is already quite extensive and yet it seems as though they are really at the very beginning of their professional journey. Embarking on it from one of the world’s design centers could be a good way to start.
