derrically

When I read about this process my head starting spinning.  Being able to produce ceramic work using rapid prototyping/manufacturing process creates so many possibilities for ceramics as a medium but it can potentially take away its appeals as well… And then my thought wandered towards what kind of ceramic products could be manufactured this way and then to the technical side of the the process like how much heat can be applied to the powder to make it actually vitrified…  Like I say, my head was spinning and thoughts went wild.

And then I realized that this to an extent means what I learned in school is very much obsolete in the near near future.  That depresses me a little.

For those who care, please follow through to read more about the project.  It’s actually quite interesting.

from Michael Eden

My entry for the RSA Ceramic Futures competition uses RP and highly innovative ceramic materials to reproduce an iconic ceramic object from the first Industrial Revolution in a way that was impossible in the early 1800’s.

A Ceramic Revolution:
The Wedgwoodn’t project applies new ceramic materials that convert a fragile RP model into a durable product with the same material properties as conventional ceramics. They are non-toxic, food safe, frost resistant, acid and alkali resistant and act as a gas barrier. They can be stained with organic, inorganic or metallic pigments and do not require firing.

Creative Potential:
As RP and RM technology advances and costs fall, there is a vast, untapped creative potential for the application of this technology in the both the industrial and independent sectors of ceramics. The benefits are potentially enormous:

• The application of high specification ceramic materials to products not normally associated with ceramics, from buildings and street furniture to decorative and functional domestic products through to medical uses.
• Freedom for independent ceramic designers and artists to produce work without the usual constraints of expensive equipment and the need to acquire material knowledge which often takes many years. This will give designers the ability to work from anywhere with a broadband connection.
• Freedom from the constraints of traditional manufacturing techniques will allow designers to create forms that were previously impossible or extremely expensive to produce.
• Customisation of designs, with no retooling costs.
• Reduction in the transport of goods as production can be arranged nearest to the customer.

The Wedgwoodn’t tureen has been created as a metaphorical object to demonstrate some of these benefits.

[ michael eden and the wedgewoodn't project via dezeen ]