Participatory design of a 3D-printed furniture concept for learning spaces
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Participatory design of a 3D-printed
furniture concept for learning spaces
A study of large-scale additive manufacturing opportunities and limitations
Herman Lundgren
Industrial Design Engineering, master's level
2021
Luleå University of Technology
Department of Social Sciences, Technology and Arts
Participatory design of a 3D-printed furniture
concept for learning spaces
A study of large-scale additive manufacturing opportunities and limitations
Herman Lundgren
2021
SUPERVISOR: Anders Warell
REVIEWER: Frida Troive
EXAMINER: Åsa Wikberg Nilsson
CIVILINGENJÖR I TEKNISK DESIGN Master of Science Thesis in Industrial Design Engineering Participatory design of a 3D-printed furniture concept for learning spaces A study of large-scale additive manufacturing opportunities and limitations © Herman Lundgren Published and distributed by Luleå University of Technology SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden Telephone: + 46 (0) 920 49 00 00 Cover: Illustration by Herman Lundgren Printed in Luleå Sweden by Luleå University of Technology Reproservice
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to thank all the people have supported me during of this master thesis.
First, I want to thank my supervisor Glenn Mattsing CEO at Sculptur, for giving me the opportunity to work
with a case alongside with the future of large-scale additive manufacturing. I also want to thank you for taking
the time to guide me throughout this project. It has been a pleasure to get to know everyone at Sculptur as
well, including Olle Prim which have taught me everything there is to 3D-printing.
I also want to thank my supervisor Anders Warell form Luleå University of Technology, for all the valuable
support and feedback during the whole master thesis.
Thanks to all the stakeholders which have participated in different collaborative tasks that have shaped the
outcome of this master thesis through a co-design process.
Thank you all.
Herman Lundgren
Luleå, June 2021
ABSTRACT Today, learning spaces are stuck in the industrial age with rows of desks and chairs. Differentiated teaching and personalised learning are not effective in traditional learning spaces and should focus on creating future classrooms (Kariippanon, 2017). This thesis is covering how furnishing for learning environments can be improved and designed through a participatory design process with Katedralskolan in Växjö by using recycled materials and additive manufacturing technology. The thesis is also exploring the opportunities of involving stakeholders to create new learning through the additive manufacturing process in interior and furniture design. Together with Katedralskolan and Sculptur, this project is exploring a concept for schools to have integrated education in interior design through semiotics that will contribute to students’ learning and explore large-scale additive manufacturing. The objective is to design a collection of interior products that will inform and communicate at an educational level and how a circular manufacturing technique is possible through 3D-printing using communicating design and semiotics. The aim is also to understand Sculptur’s product development- and manufacturing process through large-scale 3D-printing. The mission statement whereas follows: Develop a furniture concept based on an understanding of the needs of, and participation with, the user group in a co-design process as a case to study the large-scale additive manufacturing techniques together with the given conditions provided by Sculptur. The thesis process has been following an iterative design process called the design thinking process (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2021) and a co-designing process (Sanders, 2018). The design thinking process is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. The five stages of Design Thinking are as follows: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Through studies, surveys, and observations a list of stakeholder needs was created and was used when developing ideas through workshops, drawings, and prototyping. The ideas were then developed into concepts that were tested through both desktop 3D-printing and large-scale additive manufacturing. The concepts were also evaluated by stakeholders as well as through a concept evaluating matrix (Wikberg N., et.al., 2015). The result of this master thesis is the conclusion of the furniture concept as well as the study of large-scale additive manufacturing as an industrial designer. The furniture concept “Unfold lounge chair” is based on stakeholder needs and manufacturing restrictions. It is also an attempt to use theory to make the next generation of pedagogical furnishings using sustainable and circular manufacturing techniques. Through design thinking, the master thesis result was created with a human-centred approach to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology and the requirements for business success (IDEO, n.d.). Keywords: large-scale additive manufacturing, furniture development, semiotics, sustainability, co-design, learning environments, design thinking.
SAMMANFATTNING Idag sitter läromiljöer fast i den industriella epoken med rader av skrivbord och stolar. Differentierad undervisning och personlig inlärning är inte effektiv i traditionella läromiljöer och bör vara i fokus för att skapa framtidens klassrum (Kariippanon, 2017). Detta examensarbete tar upp hur inredning för inlärningsmiljöer kan förbättras och utformas genom en deltagande designprocess med Katedralskolan i Växjö med hjälp av återvunna material och additiv tillverkningsteknik. Arbetet har också undersökt möjligheterna att involvera intressenter för att skapa nytt lärande genom tillämpning av additiv tillverkning inom inredning och möbeldesign. Tillsammans med Katedralskolan och Sculptur har detta projekt undersökt ett koncept för skolor att ha integrerad utbildning i möbler genom semiotik och pedagogisk design som kommer att bidra till elevernas lärande samt utforska storskalig additiv tillverkning. Målet är att utforma en samling möbelkoncept som informerar och kommunicerar på utbildningsnivå och hur en cirkulär tillverkningsteknik är möjlig genom 3D-printnig med hjälp av kommuniationsdesign och semiotik. Målet är också att förstå Sculpturs produktutvecklings- och tillverkningsprocess genom storskalig additiv tillverkning. Projektets Mission statement var följande: Utveckla ett möbelkoncept baserat på en förståelse av behoven hos användargruppen i en samdesignprocess som ett fall för att studera storskalig additiv tillverkning tillsammans med de givna förutsättningarna från Sculptur. Examensarbetet har följt en iterativ designprocess som kallas design thinking process (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2021) tillsammans med en co-designprocess (Sanders, 2018). Design thinking är en designmetodik som ger en lösningsbaserad metod för att lösa problem. De fem faserna i design thinking är följande: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Genom studier, undersökningar och observationer skapades en lista över intressenters behov och användes när idéer utvecklades genom workshops, skisser och prototyper. Idéerna utvecklades sedan till koncept som sedan testades genom både mindre 3D-utskrift och storskalig additiv tillverkning. Koncepten utvärderades också av intressenter samt genom en konceptviktningsmatris (Wikberg N., et.al., 2015). Resultatet av detta examensarbete är sammanfattningen av möbelkonceptet samt studien av storskalig additiv tillverkning som industridesigner. Möbelkonceptet ”Unfold lounge chair” bygger på intressenternas behov samt tillverkningsrestriktioner. Det är också ett försök att använda teori för att skapa nästa generation av pedagogiska möbler med hållbara och cirkulära tillverkningstekniker. Genom design thinking skapades resultatet med ett mänskligt centrerat tillvägagångssätt för att integrera människors behov, teknikens möjligheter och kraven för produktens framgång (IDEO, n.d.). Nyckelord: storskalig additiv tillverkning, möbelformgivning, semiotik, hållbarhet, co-design, läromiljö, design thinking.
Content
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Stakeholders ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.3 Objective and aims ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.3.1 Research questions ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.4 Project scope .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Context .................................................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 About sculptur ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Case: Katedralskolan .................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Current state of large-scale 3d printing .............................................................................................................................................. 5
2.4 Current state Of learning spaces ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.5 Benchmark study ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
2.5.1 Benchmark 1: Large-scale 3D-printing companies .................................................................................................................. 6
2.5.2 Benchmark 2: Learning spaces and lounge environments.................................................................................................. 8
2.6 Benchmark result ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
3. Theoretical framework .................................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Industrial design engineering .................................................................................................................................................................. 10
3.2 Design thinking ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Semiotics ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
3.4 Educational semiotics .................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.5 Product attachment ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
3.6 Learning environments ............................................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.7 AnthropomeTRy............................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
3.8 Integrated learning ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
3.9 Pedagogical design ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
3.10 Large-scale 3D printing ............................................................................................................................................................................. 14
3.11 Designing for a Circular economy through additive manufacturing ................................................................................... 14
3.12 Sustainability.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
3.13 Collaborative and participatory design .............................................................................................................................................. 16
4. Method and Implementation .......................................................................................................... 17
4.1 Design process................................................................................................................................................................................................17
4.2 Project planning ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
4.3 Literature review ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
4.4 Empathise ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
4.4.1 Online Survey ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
4.4.2 Pilot study .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.4.3 Observations.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.5 Define .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.6 Ideate .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
4.6.1 Workshop ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.6.2 Sketches ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.7 Prototype .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.7.1 Initial CAD-drawings ............................................................................................................................................................................. 20
4.7.2 3D-printed miniature prototypes .................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.7.3 Concept evaluation................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
4.8 Test....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4.8.1 Concept weighting matrix ................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4.8.2 Large scale 3D-printed prototype .................................................................................................................................................. 21
5. Results ................................................................................................................................................ 22
5.1 Empathise .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
5.2 Define ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
5.2.1 Process parameters.............................................................................................................................................................................. 23
5.3 Ideate .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
5.4 Prototype .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
5.4.1 Concept 1: Unfold Lounge Chair ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
5.4.2 Concept 2: Katedral Couch............................................................................................................................................................... 29
5.4.3 Concept 3: Poly Bar Table ................................................................................................................................................................. 30
5.4.4 Concept 4: Multi-Purpose Furniture .............................................................................................................................................. 31
5.4.5 Concept 5: Modular Furniture .......................................................................................................................................................... 32
5.4.6 Concept 6: Easy to Print Chair ........................................................................................................................................................ 33
5.5 Test...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
5.5.1 Concept weighting matrix .................................................................................................................................................................. 34
5.5.2 Large scale 3D-printed prototype ................................................................................................................................................. 35
5.6 Final Result ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36
5.6.1 Shapes and expression ........................................................................................................................................................................37
6. Discussion .......................................................................................................................................... 38
6.1 Positioning the result .................................................................................................................................................................................. 38
6.1.1 Interpretation and evaluation of the result using theory .................................................................................................... 38
6.1.2 Contributing knowledge ...................................................................................................................................................................... 39
6.2 Relevance ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
6.3 Reflection ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
6.3.1 The process .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 39
7. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 40
8. Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 41
9. References ......................................................................................................................................... 43
Appendices ................................................................................................................................................ 46
Appendix 1: Gantt-chart ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 46
Appendix 2: Survey answers ................................................................................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix 3: Pilot Study .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 48
Appendix 4: 3d printed furniture table ............................................................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix 5: Workshop with ltu students .......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Appendix 6: stakeholder needs .............................................................................................................................................................................. 51
Appendix 7: Insiration pins ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 52
List of Figures Figure 1: 6-axis robot arm ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2: Katedralskolan in Växjö ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 3: Entrance floor plan ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 4: Katedralskolans entrance environment ................................................................................................................ 4 Figure 5: 6-axis robot 3D-printer at Sculptur..................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 6: The new raw (The New Raw, 2021) ................................................................................................................. 6 Figure 7: Nagami design (Nagami, 2020)........................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 8: Incremental3D (Incremental3D, 2021) ............................................................................................................... 7 Figure 9: Environment image board .................................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 10: Angled print ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 11: DVF-Framework (adapted from IDEO, 2021)................................................................................................ 11 Figure 12: Ordinary design process .................................................................................................................................. 16 Figure 13: Co-design process ........................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 14: Design Thinking process................................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 15: Pilot study at Katedralskolan ........................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 16: Stakeholder’s emotions ................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 17: Stakeholder needs ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 18: Print start and endpoint .................................................................................................................................. 24 Figure 19: Parallel last layers ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Figure 20: Larger loop versus smaller loop ....................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 21: Workshop result ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Figure 22: Initial sketches ................................................................................................................................................ 26 Figure 23: From dimensions to CAD model .................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 24: CAD Sketches ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Figure 25: Unfold lounge chair........................................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 26: Printed miniature unfold lounge chair ............................................................................................................ 28 Figure 27: Katedral Couch .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Figure 28: Printed miniature katedral couch .................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 29: Poly bar table .................................................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 30: Printed miniature poly bar table ...................................................................................................................... 30 Figure 31: Multi-Purpose Furniture................................................................................................................................. 31 Figure 32: Printed Multi-purpose furniture...................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 33: Modular Furniture concepts ........................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 34: Easy to Print Chair ......................................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 35: Printed miniature easy to print chair. .............................................................................................................. 33 Figure 36: Unfold lounge chair first layer. ....................................................................................................................... 35 Figure 37: Unfold lounge chair warping. ......................................................................................................................... 35 Figure 38: Unfold lounge chair printed at Sculptur. ......................................................................................................... 36 Figure 39: Unfold lounge chair print finished .................................................................................................................. 36 Figure 40: Rendered furniture, closeup ........................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 41: Rendered furniture ......................................................................................................................................... 42 List of Tables Table 1: Lounge chair guide values .................................................................................................................................. 13 Table 2: Concept weighting matrix ................................................................................................................................. 34 List of Appendices Appendix 1: Gantt-chart.................................................................................................................................................. 46 Appendix 2: Survey answers ............................................................................................................................................ 47 Appendix 3: Pilot Study .................................................................................................................................................. 48 Appendix 4: 3d printed furniture table............................................................................................................................. 49 Appendix 5: Workshop with ltu students......................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix 6: stakeholder needs......................................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix 7: Pinterest pins ............................................................................................................................................... 52
1. Introduction
This project has taken place at the company Sculptur in Karlshamn as a master thesis project in the industrial
design engineering programme at Luleå University of Technology during spring term 2021.
This master thesis will cover the development of a furniture concept based on an understanding of needs and
participation with the user group in a collaborative process and given the conditions provided by Sculptur. The
conditions contain the understanding of the limitations and possibilities of 3D-printing.
This thesis will cover how furnishing for learning environments can be improved and designed through a
participatory design process with Katedralskolan in Växjö by using recycled materials and additive
manufacturing (AM) technology. The thesis will also explore the opportunities of involving stakeholders to
create new learning through the application of additive manufacturing process in interior and furniture design.
Together with Katedralskolan and Sculptur, this project will explore a concept for schools to have integrated
education in interior design through semiotics that will contribute to students’ learning and explore large-scale
additive manufacturing. The mission statement for this project was as followed:
“Develop a furniture concept based on an understanding of the needs of,
and participation with, the user group in a co-design process as a case to
study the large-scale additive manufacturing techniques together with the
given conditions provided by Sculptur”.
1.1 BACKGROUND
This project intends to explore the benefits of semiotics and communication in co-design of furniture products.
Sculptur works with recycled plastic materials, and together with a Swedish upper secondary school, Sculptur
had a challenge to create furniture products with the intentions of communicating in an educational matter.
These products will simulate and raise interest in learning as well as providing a sustainable environment for the
regarding area.
Today, most semiotics is used for helping the user interact or understand the product and what its intentions
are (Hjelm, 2002). But semiotic could also be used to help high school students to learn more about the
subjects they are studying by implementing it in furniture and other interior products. The aim has also been to
develop a furniture concept for a learning environment together with student, teachers and other stakeholders
at an upper secondary school that can be manufactured through Sculptur’s methods. The problems that the
project can face is to find the definitions of educational semiotics and how it can be communicated using only
the design of the product, including form, material, and its expression.
1.2 STAKEHOLDERS
The stakeholders are the users and involved organisations that will be affected by the result of this project. A
better understanding is achieved by listing the most relevant stakeholders and how they are connected to the
project.
Students
Students are the primary user of the furniture concept. Through co-creation, the students will be able to
contribute to the development of Katedralskolan’s new interior furniture.
Teachers
Teachers is a similar user as Students, but they spend most of their time away from Katedralskolan’s learning
spaces but uses them to gather and talk to students in groups.
1School Management
The school’s management team is responsible for the investment of the furniture. Therefore, it is important to
get track of the result as it should end up being within a reasonable budget and its connections to the schools’
visions.
Janitors
The end products must be fitted for all the users including janitors. The janitors are cleaning and taking care of
the school’s interior.
Visitors
You must keep in mind that these users will most likely only use the furniture once and that is why it is
important to work on a good first impression and visual communication.
Sculptur
If this project will result in furniture products that will be sold to schools like Katedralskolan and other
customers. Sculptur will gain value from this master thesis.
1.3 OBJECTIVE AND AIMS
The objective of this project is to inspire learning through the design of furniture and by creating a social
environment conducive to learning. (This is a type of communication that may be explained through
semiotics). The project is conducted because Katedralskolan has an interest, at an educational level, to buy
furniture and interiors products that are both educational but also learn the user about a circular society
through recycling and how recycled material can be used to create new products through additive
manufacturing.
The objective is to design a collection of interior products that will inform and communicate at an educational
level and how a circular manufacturing technique is possible through 3D-printing using communicating design
and semiotics.
The aim is also to understand Sculptur’s product development- and manufacturing process through large-scale
3D-printing. The term large-scale 3D-printing imply large as in size and not in production volume.
1.3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The project goal is to study and answer the thesis research questions:
• How can a furniture concept for a school learning environment be design and
manufactured using an additive manufacturing process of recycled materials?
• What are the restrictions when developing a product through large-scale 3D-printing
and how does it affect its shape and function?
1.4 PROJECT SCOPE
This master thesis has taken place in a 20-week period. During this period, research has been around additive
manufacturing and learning environment which is two large areas to cover. That is why this master thesis will
try to focus on what is most fitted for the project and try to bring up relevant research and data. For instance,
the master thesis will not bring up the theory of additive manufacturing and how it works at a mechanical
level. However, the thesis will bring up the basic idea of 3D-printing and what restrictions you can face when
developing a product for it.
22. Context
The context chapter can be described as the background study of the thesis project. It is important to
understand the current state and what different solutions can look like. In this thesis, the context chapter
describes the different areas and their background.
A large topic of this thesis is to understand the large-scale 3D-printing manufacturing technique and how to
design for it. With underlying research and observations, I have learned what the restrictions are and how to
get the best result when designing and manufacturing products at Sculptur.
By comparing the designs and of different product manufactured by the same 3D printing technique through
benchmarks, I could find commonalities in their design to get an understanding on what limitations I the
manufacturing technique have. Firstly, I have noticed that every product is made up by printing it layer by
layer using FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling, type of additive manufacturing technique by extruding soft
material that then hardens. This includes plastic and ceramics. This method is similar to a desktop 3D-printer
using plastic filament (Dudek, 2013)).
Sculptur is using an injection moulding nozzle to extrude their recycled materials by melting pellets. This
nozzle is then installed on a 6-axis industrial robot arm. Figure 1 shows the locations of 3 translating and 3
rotating degrees of freedom on a 6-axis robot arm. Even though Sculptur and other companies use a complex
robotic arm, it can only print two-dimensional layers at the time, for now.
Figure 1: 6-axis robot arm
2.1 ABOUT SCULPTUR
Sculptur is a Swedish based company specialized in large scale additive manufacturing and circular transition.
The company was founded in 2019 and became one of the first company in the world to use robots for large-
scale additive manufacturing. The company have made sure that all products are made of recycled or biobased
material ready for easy recycling (Sculptur, 2021).
Sculptur’s products are 100% circular making it possible for them to stay true to their goal of contributing to a
sustainable future. They believe that linear supply chain, material waste, long-distance transportation, and long
lead times must end. All products from Sculptur are designed and manufactured with a sustainable circularity in
mind (Sculptur, 2021). Hopefully, Sculptur will also develop a new type of business model similar to this thesis,
where they can develop a product as a service through a collaborative process.
2.2 CASE: KATEDRALSKOLAN
Katedralskolan (Figure 2) is one of the oldest upper high school in Växjö, having roots back to the year 1179
(Katedralskolan, Växjö, 2021). Katedralskolan has approximately 1300 students (2010) and offers six different
study programs: Science program, Social sciences program, aesthetics program, International baccalaureate,
economics program and the humanities program (Katedralskolan, Växjö, 2021). One of the famous students
who has studied at Katedralskolan is Carl Linneaus, he is a famous Swedish botanist, taxonomist, physician, and
zoologist who formalised the modern system of naming organisms (Linnaeus, 2021).
3Figure 2: Katedralskolan in Växjö
To get a deeper and clearer understanding of the project’s context. Katedralskolan’s learning environments and
spaces together were investigated with its stakeholders. Figure 3 shows one learning space, this environment is
in between the central path from the entrance and the entrance to the schools’ aula.
Figure 3: Entrance floor plan
Today, this area is empty and only used as a loading dock for deliveries. There are only a few places to sit and,
unfortunately, it is not very welcoming as a visitor because of lack of furniture and space.
Figure 4: Katedralskolans entrance environment
42.3 CURRENT STATE OF LARGE-SCALE 3D PRINTING
According to Al Jassmi, Al Najjar & Mourad. (2018), The term large-scale 3D printing is commonly used
when discussing the additive manufacturing process of cement structures. 3D printing, on the other hand, has a
relatively long history of development traced back to the 1980s where it was used for rapid prototyping of
smaller products. Large-scale 3D printing could be classified as either gantry-based, robotic arm-based, or
swarm-based (ibid.). In this project, a 6-axis robotic arm-based method is used to create the thesis result and is
the method that Sculptur uses (Figure 5).
A large-scale 3D-printer, such as a 6-axis 3D-printer, is often used to print in cement, building sculptures, vases
and even houses. Compared to a desktop 3D-printer, a 6-axis robot printer at Sculptur uses plastic pellets
instead of filament for its printing material. But similarly, all plastic 3D-printers melt plastic and extrudes it
through a nozzle, building up a 3D-model layer by layer.
This thesis will explore the possibilities and restrictions when it comes to 6-axis plastic-based 3D-printer as an
industrial designer.
Figure 5: 6-axis robot 3D-printer at Sculptur
2.4 CURRENT STATE OF LEARNING SPACES
Today, learning spaces are stuck in the industrial age with rows of desks and chairs. Differentiated teaching and
personalised learning is not effective in traditional learning spaces and should be the focus in creating future
classrooms (Kariippanon, Cliff, Lancaster, Okely & Parrish 2017).
Kinnarps has been contacted regarding learning spaces through phone and e-mail conversations. According to
Madeleine Wåhlander (personal conversation, 4 March 2021), there is an untouched market regarding new and
innovative learning environments. Kinnarps is one of the first companies that have started to work side by side
with their customers when developing new furniture concepts, similar to a co-designing process.
2.5 BENCHMARK STUDY
To get a better understanding of the thesis topic, a benchmark study was made to compare and explore similar
solutions and technologies of large-scale additive manufacturing and learning spaces. These benchmarks studies
5can later be used to find inspiration and opportunities of this manufacturing technique but also learn about the
limitations when designing for additive manufacturing but also how it can fit in a learning environment.
2.5.1 BENCHMARK 1: LARGE-SCALE 3D-PRINTING COMPANIES
The first benchmark study where to research different large-scale additive manufacturing companies that is
similar to Sculptur.
The New Raw
The New Raw is a Research & Design studio based in Rotterdam (NL), founded in 2015 by the architects
Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki. The studio uses robotic 3D printing with recycled plastic to develop and
implement circular design concepts of high aesthetic value and societal impact. Through the integration of
design thinking, robotic production, and material research, The New Raw provides complete design and
additive manufacturing solutions for a more sustainable future! (The New Raw, 2021).
The New Raw is the most similar to Sculptur in the benchmark. Their design langue communicates
sustainability through form, colour, and usability. In figure 6, The New Raw has created a concept that is both
an outdoor bench but also a giant plats pot. The New Raw’s work has given the project inspiration on design
for additive manufacturing.
Figure 6: The new raw (The New Raw, 2021)
Nagami Design
Nagami Design is a Spain-based brand that explores the future of design in a new technological era. They
develop furniture designs from world-class designers who challenge the technology to create innovative
products. Nagami bring 3D printing and robotic manufacturing to large scale products and objects with a wide
range of customization possibilities. (Nagami, 2020).
The company does not have the same focus on sustainability as Sculptur when it comes to material usage.
Nagami Design has laid its focus on fashion and high-end design, shown in figure 7. The abstract geometries
have evaluated the limits of the manufacturing method.
6Figure 7: Nagami design (Nagami, 2020)
Incremental3d
Incremental3d is a start-up company from Austria founded in September 2017 by Georg Grasser, Johannes
Ladinig and Lukas Härtenberger. They have been researching the field of concrete printing in the last years
together at the University of Innsbruck in Austria and have developed a new and innovative technology for
concrete 3d printing (Incremental3D, 2021).
The differences between concrete and plastic 3D-printing are few, but cement 3D-printing has been around
for much longer. The years of research around cement 3D-printing could be implemented in plastic 3D-
printing such as this project (considering the differences in material behaviour).
Figure 8: Incremental3D (Incremental3D, 2021)
72.5.2 BENCHMARK 2: LEARNING SPACES AND LOUNGE ENVIRONMENTS
This benchmark has given the project an understanding of the context of furniture for several types of
environments. By comparing different environments, the project case at Katedralskolan gave inspiration on
how the furniture concept would fit in different types of environments.
Kinnarps: New education
Can the physical environment affect learning? At Kinnarps they are convinced that it can. In a survey
conducted by Demoskop (2016), two-thirds of teachers say that the physical environment is crucial and
important for their students’ performance. In the report ‘Clever Classrooms’ (2015), whose main author is
Peter Barrett, a British professor of property and construction management, the researchers find that classroom
design can increase students’ knowledge development by up to 16% in a single year.
Kinnarps brochure skapa rum för lärande brings up how to create both inclusive and sustainable learning spaces
following through vision, workshops, and online surveys (Kinnarps, 2020).
School entrance
At the entrance, the school has the chance to make a good impression on students, staff, and visitors. A
welcoming impression that can set the tone for the learning environment, and a concrete piece of the puzzle in
the school's important brand. But also, a place that only those who belong to have free passage, where strangers
are questioned for safety and security (Kinnarps, 2018).
Hotel lounge
The definitions of a lounge are an area in a public place such as a hotel, airport, or club, where you can sit,
wait, and relax. A room off the lobby in a hotel where people can go and relax, listen to music, and drink a
drink is an example of a lounge (Lounge Meaning, 2021).
Theatre’s foyer
A theatre waiting hall is called a foyer. A Foyer is an area for theatre guests to socialize and to gather before
entering the theatre. Nowadays a foyer is used as a concept for other public buildings, such as cinemas and
hotels (Foajé, 2020).
Figure 9 shows how these types of environments could look like and how their interior furnishings is
presented. These pictures were gathered from Pinterest. Pinterest was a tool that was used to get inspiration on
how different furniture’s is presented in different environments, giving inspiration to the project.
Figure 9: Environment image board
82.6 BENCHMARK RESULT
The result of the first benchmark has given an insight into how this manufacturing method can be used to
create interesting shapes. For instance, every product produced by these kinds of 3D-printers will have visual
layer lines which can be either a manufacturing flaw or a design feature. I have also noticed that it is
geometrical constraints that you must follow when designing for this kind of additive manufacturing. Even if
3D-printing have the freedom to produce almost any shape, there are still limitations that you must consider.
You are also limited to one material, which is often thermal plastic, which also contributes to the characteristics
of the product. One of the common products produced in large-scale 3D-printing is furniture. Furniture is an
uncomplicated way to explore shapes and usability in additive manufacturing. Furniture is also what should be
the outcome of this study, I should therefore take inspiration and learn from these companies on how to
develop furniture products for large-scale 3D-printning.
By looking through the table in Appendix 4, you can see that most of the 3D-printed furniture follows a
specific design langue. 3D-printed furniture is often manufactured laying on its side, as you can see by the layer
lines. But it is also possible to print in an angle as well as printing with a varied angle by taking advantage of the
6-axis on an industrial robot arm. Figure 10 shows how an angled print can accomplish compared to the
standard bottom to top technique. This technique is at early development at Sculptur and is not recommended
when you want to print reliably but can create more interesting shapes.
Figure 10: Angled print
93. Theoretical framework
In this chapter, you will learn about the relevant facts and theory about this thesis. Every part of the theory is
necessary to understand and appreciate the continuation of this project.
3.1 INDUSTRIAL DESIGN ENGINEERING
The Master of Science Engineering programme Industrial Design Engineering is based on industry demand for
efficient and effective product development using user-centred design and construction (Luleå Tekniska
Universitet, 2018). A large part of this thesis is based on user collaboration design, or co-design for short,
which is also involves Industrial Design Engineering. Co-design is a design development process where the
designer, is working side by side with the end-user in a collaboration. The user has now the power to affect the
design process in every step and have a key role in the project’s outcome (Sanders, 2008).
A big part of an industrial design engineer is the design thinking process. The iterative process can be defined
through different types of phases, this project uses the phases Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and test,
which is the most familiar (The Interaction Design Foundation, 2021).
According to Libohova (2020), Industrial design engineering is both a process, approach, and way of thinking.
Industrial design engineering, or IDE for short, can also be described as the combination of Industrial design
(ID) and Design engineering (DE). ID is an applied art whereby the usability and aesthetics of products are
improved. Design aspects specified by the designer may include the overall shape of the object, the location of
details concerning one another, colours, texture, sounds, and aspects concerning the use of the product
ergonomics. DE, however, is a discipline that creates and transforms ideas and concepts into a product
definition that satisfies customer requirements (ibid.).
3.2 DESIGN THINKING
It is a common misconception that design thinking is a new term. Design has been practised for ages, for
instance, buildings, bridges, and cars are all end-products of the design processes. Throughout history, designers
have applied a human-centric creative process to build meaningful and effective solutions (Gibbons, 2016).
Gibbons (2016) mentions that design has historically been an afterthought in the business world and only
applied to touch up a product’s aesthetics. Early design application has resulted in companies creating solutions
that fail to meet their customers’ real needs. Therefore, these companies moved their designers from the end of
the product-development process, where their contribution is limited, to the beginning (ibid.).
The definition of design thinking can be described as:
“a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s
toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and
the requirements for business success.” (T. Brown, IDEO, n.d.)
Thinking like a designer can transform the way companies develop products, services, processes, and strategies.
This approach, which IDEO (n.d.) calls design thinking, brings together what is desirable from a human point
of view, with what is technologically feasible and economically viable. This framework can also be seen as the
DFV (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) framework (Payal, 2019). Illustrated by figure 11, the combination
of Desirability, Feasibility and Viability has resulted as the sweet spot for innovation through the design
thinking process.
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