Luxury kitchen and bathroom product maker KALLISTA partners with 3rd Dimension and 3D Systems to rapidly develop an innovative new faucet from 3D printed stainless steel.
In a press release 3D Systems announces that KALLISTA, a designer of luxury kitchen and bath products, has launched the Grid sink faucet using its materials and tech. Entirely 3D printed from metal, the company claims the Grid faucet is a first of its kind.
KALLISTA wanted to create a unique faucet with a somewhat unusual geometry. In turning to additive manufacturing, the team was able to design the product without limitations.
Indeed, most designers are well aware that the actual manufacturing process has to be taken into consideration in order to ensure that their visions are actually physically possible using the production method in mind.
Bill McKeone, design studio manager at KALLISTA, says:
“By choosing to produce this faucet via 3D printing, we opened ourselves to limitless design possibilities. 3D Systems’ breadth of materials and technologies allowed us the freedom to create a unique, functional faucet which would not have been possible with a traditional manufacturing process.”
3D Printing Stylish Water
Metal 3D printing specialists 3rd Dimension facilitated the Grid’s production. It used a 3D Systems ProX DMP 320 direct metal printing system to print the Grid’s hollow-cube form in high-quality stainless steel 316 powder. For KALLISTA, it was the company’s first step into additive manufacturing.
The benefit of taking this first step with 3rd Dimension is that the pipeline for this new product was dramatically shortened in comparison to the traditional production tooling (weeks, or even months) that would be required. Once printed, the faucet and it’s accompanying cuboid taps underwent a finishing process that involved tumbling to achieve a uniform surface finish and powder coating for a sleek black look.
“This is just one example of the value 3D printing brings to a production environment,” adds David Cullen, director of applications engineering, 3D Systems. “Through the combination of materials, print technology, software and services, KALLISTA was able to bring their visionary design to market.”
Source: 3D Systems
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